


The City of Wonder

by LaEmperatrizMariana



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Drug Use, Fondling, Food, Gen, Rape/Non-con Elements, Religion, Suicide Attempt, Tentacle Sex, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-01
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-11 09:37:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 86,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaEmperatrizMariana/pseuds/LaEmperatrizMariana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Star Saber, one of the greatest swordsmen in the galaxy, has left New Crystal City in Theophany to return to his native homeland of Cybertron in search for answers. However, he learns that his main objective is to comfort a dowager caught in an endless bereavement. Then random things happen and Star Saber must still fulfill this objective somehow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ever since I left the city, you...

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by: [Tentaculiferous](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Tentaculiferous/profile).
> 
> This is set in an AU where the concept of Cold Constructed and Forged mechs doesn't exist and isn't applicable. So obviously this affected the characterization of a certain character. 
> 
> This story is mainly PG-13, with some random sex scenes thrown in for fan-service. However, I will post a warning when they comes up; particularly the explicit chapter, which is skippable. The focus of this story is meant to be adventurous with archetypal fighting a villain in the arcs, kind of thing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this project that took me several months to write. :3
> 
> The list of arcs:
> 
>   * **Standard Introduction:**  Chapter 1 - Chapter 7  
> 
>   * **Pilgrimage to Vector Sigma:** Chapter 8 - Chapter 17  
> 
>   * **Intermission/Return:** Chapter 18 - Chapter 24  
> 
>   * **The Queen's War:** Chapter 25 - Chapter 34  
> 
>   * **Unexpected Finale:** Chapter  35 - Chapter 40   
> 
> 


**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standard introduction chapter of the two main protagonists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the chapter are lyrics from that Drake song: “[Hotline Bling](https://youtu.be/uxpDa-c-4Mc?t=20s)” only because I want you all to know that this is not meant to be a serious story.

    After traversing across the galaxy, the Star Saber landed on a small asteroid orbiting near Luna-1. With his energon levels nearly depleted, he fell to his knees. So close, yet still so far away from the land that was once his home – Cybertron. It had been many years since he had last stepped foot on Cybertron because he fled with some refugees who eventually founded New Crystal City, a Cybertronian colony, on the planet of Theophany.

    Due to various reasons, Star Saber had left New Crystal City and decided to return to Cybertron. His journey had been long and perilous. All he could do at this point was rest and contemplate his journey and all that he had been through. As he looked on, he felt someone approach him from behind. Being a skilled warrior who was taught to always be aware of his surroundings, Star Saber did nothing because he sensed there was no threat. He turned around and a saw a large golden mech holding a screen.

    The connection was poor due to the magnetic winds. He could barely see the figure on the screen, but he heard his horribly garbled voice, “State your purpose.”

    “I am Star Saber, on my pilgrimage to Vector Sigma,” replied Star Saber.

    “Star Saber, the Dark Evangelist?” the voice gasped, “You are welcome to stay at my compound on Luna-1. Let my legislator take you.”

    Suspicious, Star Saber allowed the let the legislator tow him to Luna-1. Not long after, he arrived at a large villa in the middle of the tropical moon. Most of it was an untamed jungle landscape with many plants he had never seen before. Surrounded by several other legislators, was a green mech with delicate-looking silver wings and a golden crowned helm. Naturally, Star Saber observed him with caution.

    The green mech spoke, “Welcome to Luna-1. I am Chief Justice Tyrest, author of the Tyrest Accord. It is an honor to be in your presence.” His voice was surprisingly pleasant to hear, unlike the garbled recording he had heard earlier. Tyrest knelt before Star Saber who got him by the shoulders and stood him back up.

    “Save your kneeling for Primus!” said Star Saber as he looked Tyrest straight in the eye. But Tyrest looked away as Star Saber continued, “I assume you’ve called me to your presence to offer me your hospitality. I appreciate it since most of my journey involved hostile encounters.”

    Tyrest nodded, “Of course. Please follow me.” He led Star Saber to a large, modest room and offered him some vegetable soup. Star Saber removed his helm and took a seat. He grabbed a hold of Tyrest’s arm before he slipped out of the room. He pulled him in closer and made direct eye-contact. He hadn’t been able to get a good look at his host’s face until that point. He had an expressionless orange-copper face with honey-yellow eyes.

    “I’ve stated my purpose earlier, what is yours?” asked Star Saber, “I know when someone wants favors from me…”

    Looking away Tyrest said, “I have been praying to Primus for proper guidance ever since I had a near death experience many years ago. I will admit I was nonreligious but never doubted his existence. To me, your arrival is what I have been waiting for so I can grow in my faith. Through the stars, Primus told me your arrival would be during this time. Your reputation as one of the best swordsmen is universally renowned.”

    Star Saber crossed his arms. “Is there a particular reason you look away? It is a grave sin to lie to a priest of Primus.”

    Tyrest took a deep breath and made eye-contact with Star Saber. “Yes, direct eye-contact makes me uncomfortable. It feels confrontational and I am not looking to fight anyone. I am a truthful mech, you don’t need to lock eyes with me to prove that.”

    Satisfied with his answer, Star Saber began to chug the soup. When he finished, he noticed that Tyrest was staring at him with his eyes wide open. “You eat so...fast,” whispered Tyrest, “Would you like some more?” Star Saber nodded and a couple of legislators left the room. Tyrest said, “I hope I’m not causing you any inconvenience to your pilgrimage with my selfishness.”

    “There is nothing selfish about seeking redemption and striving to follow Primus’ will,” said Star Saber, “the most difficult part is actively trying to change your sinful ways. I personally take delight when others’ sparks are finally opened to the truth. Converts are often the most passionate about their faith, because to them it’s as if they found what is missing in their life and don’t want anything else. It’s not to say those who are believers are not as good. Like other things in life, we do not appreciate what we have until it is lost.”

    The legislators returned and brought more soup for Star Saber. Tyrest tapped a legislator on the shoulder, “Please make sure the guest has his fill.” He then turned to Star Saber, “It’s late, and perhaps we can discuss this further in the morning. Thank you for being here.”

    Star Saber swallowed and replied, “You’re welcome.”

    Tyrest left the room and Star Saber finished the soup sometime later. Before the legislators left, they brought in spare sheets and other pillows since Star Saber’s stay was still undetermined. After the legislators were gone, Star Saber looked out of the window. His room was facing away from Cybertron. This mattered little to Star Saber because he could see how far he had come to be so close to his destination. Star Saber then said his prayers before recharging for the night.

    Star Saber woke up refreshed. It had been the first time in a long time, he had, had proper rest. He looked at the clock and noticed it was 3:00 am. Having no particular compromises, Star Saber picked up his journal and began to write about his thoughts. He had a habit of writing down any personal religious revelation he experienced to reflect on them later. As he wrote on his journal, he heard a knock on the door. At first he was annoyed, since it interrupted his thoughts but then he assumed it could be the legislators. His assumption was correct; there was a legislator at the door holding his breakfast - hard-boiled eggs, flaky crackers and a glass of orange juice.

    Still a bit sleepy, Star Saber didn’t stop to think how the legislators were aware of him waking up at that time. Star Saber let the legislator in and went to brush his teeth before enjoying his breakfast. He tried his best to control his insatiable appetite but it had been too long since he had, had a proper meal. Just like his dinner, it was devoured in seconds. He handed the empty plate to the legislator, who later returned with a second serving. By the time Star Saber finished, he was too full. It was too early for him to eat so much. In part, he was ashamed of his lack of self-control. He then brushed his teeth again before resuming his sleep.

    Tyrest woke up some time later, but it was still quite early. He went to check on his computer. A legislator reported Star Saber’s recent activity. Tyrest didn’t appear concerned and asked the legislator to notify him when Star Saber woke up again. Tyrest noticed there was a sudden amendment to the Autobot Code; something beyond his control. The recent changes annoyed him, since he deemed many of them as too permissive. Tyrest had no choice but to edit his Accord in order to fit with the Autobot Code’s amendment.

    After he finished, he contacted a particular employee, who was a jailer on a distant vessel, to notify him of the changes. The connection was even worse than the one he had with Star Saber. The employee responded, his voice quivering he repeated Tyrest’s message to make sure he had heard correctly. Just as he finished his call, a legislator appeared holding his staff and one of his capes. Tyrest got dressed and made his way to Star Saber’s room.

    Star Saber had finished writing his journal entry, when Tyrest knocked on the door saying. “Good morning, Star Saber.”

    “Good morning to you too, Sir,” Star Saber replied, letting Tyrest inside. He eyed Tyrest from the ground up, just like any good warrior scans his adversary’s power-level.

    “Yes?” asked Tyrest calmly.

    “I know you mean well, but you do not need to dress yourself up for me,” replied Star Saber, he stopped. Star Saber wanted to say something else, but he could tell Tyrest was “unpredictable”. Star Saber couldn’t think of a more polite way of saying the chief justice looked like the favorite concubine of an ancient warlord.

    Tyrest tried to read Star Saber’s expression, but he could not. Star Saber’s helm hid most of his face. Tyrest could only see the burning passion of his devotion to Primus in his eyes. That didn’t answer anything.

    “I’m sorry, it’s just that the Circle of Light’s leader, Dai Atlas, is a very vain individual,” said Star Saber, “and some of his practices have vexed me. His emphasis on good looks was one of them. The other was his passiveness. I’m weary of anyone who dresses themselves up.”

    “Dai Atlas, as in the former senator?” asked Tyrest.

    “Yes,” muttered Star Saber, “perhaps that’s why he’s so vain. I don’t think I can recall a politician who wasn’t obsessed with his looks. I’m guessing you’re familiar with him. Your expression has changed when I mentioned him by name.”

    “Of course, we worked together to help refugees leave Cybertron,” said Tyrest, “Beyond that, we didn’t interact with each other much. All I know is that he wasn’t too happy with the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. He thought Optimus would doom us all, how sadly mistaken he was.”

    “Why would he doubt a Prime?” Star Saber raised an eyebrow, “Who am I kidding? This is Dai Atlas we’re talking about. He’s so focused on appearances that he doesn’t concentrate on the important matters. Enough about him, is there any chance I can meet Optimus Prime on Cybertron? Unlike my contemporary, I have no feelings of disdain towards him. There is a reason the Matrix has deemed him worthy. It would be an immense honor to speak with the Matrix Bearer.”

    Tyrest’s face turned pale. “Optimus Prime is dead.”

    “What?!” asked Star Saber, “How?”

    “Several years ago, a small band of Unicron cultists managed to summon Unicron into this world,” said Tyrest, “as terrible as that was, it was what finally got the Autobots and Decepticons to stop fighting each other. They teamed up to save Cybertron. In the pivotal moment, Optimus activated the Matrix in an attempt to push Unicron back into the Dark Universe. Apparently, this attack used up so much energy that Optimus Prime vanished without a trace. Only the Matrix was left behind. Then everyone was scrambling to acquire the Matrix. The Unicron cultists, of course, wanted it out of the way so they’d continue their profane ritual undisturbed. Eventually, Optimus’ son, Hot Rod, was able to activate the Matrix and finish what Optimus had started. He is now the new Prime and goes by the name of Rodimus Prime.”

    “Is there a chance I can meet Rodimus Prime then?” asked Star Saber.

    “I don’t know,” replied Tyrest, “he left Cybertron with his crew in search of the Knights of Cybertron. I’ve never met him before. They say he is a charismatic leader with a fiery temper at times. But mechs aren’t always what they seem in public. I think Optimus’ death has upset me more than in it should. I wasn’t particularly close to him. We have only met twice; when he signed the Tyrest Accord and when he appointed me as Chief Justice.”

    Tyrest and Star Saber continued to talk about Cybertron. It had been awhile since both of them had, had a casual conversation. Star Saber spoke of his youth and how with age, he felt growing closer to Primus. Star Saber claimed that aside from his swordsman training and healthy diet, his faith in Primus helped keep him strong. He claimed that these three factors must be maintained in order to live a good, saintly life the way Primus intends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I wrote this, I forgot to explicitly mention _why_ he was called the "Dark Evangelist" in this AU. However, something mentioned later in [Chapter 11](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765/chapters/16140526), may give a hint as to why he got this nickname.


	2. Buried roots in the wasteland sea.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber tries to get settled in Luna-1.

    Star Saber took a deep breath and said, “First thing’s first, we must build a proper altar in honor of Primus and his thirteen original Primes. Though having an altar like this isn’t required, but for your case, it’s different. You need to have a constant reminder of his presence while you strengthen your faith. We must look for an adequate location.”

    “What are the specific requirements?” asked Tyrest, “There’s bound to be an unused room in my compound that matches the description.”

    “As long as the room is made sacred through a blessing and the altar fits,” shrugged Star Saber, “personally, I would go with a proportionate approach.  Do not take this as a personal attack, but a person of your wealth can afford to have a large beautiful chapel; preferably somewhere where it’s accessible to visitors.”

    Tyrest thought about it for a moment. He had been uncomfortable with the thought of visitors. It was one of the reasons he had lived on Luna-1, since it was his private property and he was isolated from other settlements. However, he understood Star Saber’s rationale of making a place of worship easily accessible to everyone. That's how places of worship are meant to be.

    Tyrest sighed, “Well, I do have this large ballroom on the first floor of my villa that I’ve only used once. It has a large window that overlooks Cybertron during the night. Would you like to see it?” Star Saber nodded and they made their way to the ballroom.

    The ballroom was very large and ornate but it was extremely dusty. Star Saber said, “Yes, this room is perfect once everything is cleaned and set up. Even that mosaic on the ceiling is perfect; it’s an image of sparks becoming one with the Allspark.”

    “Oh…thank you,” said Tyrest, “my conjunx was in charge of the designing. After all, this was his house and we needed somewhere nice to celebrate our wedding anniversaries...excuse me.” Tyrest walked out of the room. Star Saber then inspected the ballroom trying to figure out how he wanted to set up the chapel. When he finally got an idea, he knelt and prayed silently. A little bit later, Tyrest returned with a key and knelt next to Star Saber.

    Without looking up, Star Saber asked, “Yes?”

    “I apologize for abruptly leaving, but I have brought you a key to a storage room on the third floor where most of his belongings are kept,” Tyrest handed Star Saber the key, “he was a very religious mech, but very private about his beliefs. I’m sure there are things there that you can use for making the chapel.”

    Star Saber took the key, “That seems rather neglectful on his behalf. Spouses should have similar beliefs and be equally strong in faith. Where you lacked, he should’ve taught. But no matter, you are gradually learning and speaking of him saddens you, so I will cease out of respect.”

    “What?” Tyrest was annoyed.

    “There’s no need to be defensive,” replied Star Saber, “it doesn’t matter how long it has been, the pain losing someone you loved so much can still hurt as strongly as it did when it occurred. You do not need to lie to me about your emotions or pretend you are well when you’re not. I could be wrong, but then if this wasn’t the case, why did you leave so abruptly and tell me to look for things on my own?” Star Saber handed Tyrest a handkerchief, “I will be back in a bit.”

    Star Saber got up and headed towards the storage room. When he got out of the room, he walked some distance before teleporting back near the door of the ballroom. He heard soft weeping, which confirmed his suspicions. Star Saber then teleported to the third floor.

    Star Saber found the storage room and entered. Most items there were just random belongings. There was nothing remotely religious about them, most looked like spoils of war or other wealthy extravagances. Just as he was leaving, something caught his eye.  Star Saber pulled the item out from behind a mirror and looked at it with disbelief. Star Saber teleported back to the ballroom. His sudden reappearance startled Tyrest. Star Saber turned around and noticed several legislators making their way into the room.

    “I am deeply sorry for having surprised you like this but…” unable to contain his excitement, Star Saber’s hands trembled as he showed Tyrest a large ornate-looking piece of metal, “…but this is one of the five Omega Keys of Vector Sigma! How…this holy relic in your possession…?”

    Still clutching his chest, Tyrest leaned closer to have a better look, “Wait, this was what this thing was? He gifted this to me one night. I had been worried sick because I didn’t know where he was and he hadn’t called me to let me know that he was going to be late. I waited for him for so long, and then woke up to find him sneaking into the house. He told me he had planned to give me this for our anniversary but the surprise was ruined. I didn’t even know how sacred this item was and just left it there like nothing.” Tyrest looked distraught, “I have heard of the Omega Keys, but I only thought four existed.”

    “It is alright, since it has been safe all of these years,” smiled Star Saber, “now that I think about it, the more our encounter was meant to be. I had forgotten that you need one of the keys to communicate with Vector Sigma or be willing to sacrifice your life in order to do so. Four of the keys were meant to activate it; the last one was intended to unlock various rooms at the site. Any of them can work for this purpose because they are all the same. This sacred relic in my hands means I did not come all of this way for nothing.” Star Saber got up and paced around for a bit. Meanwhile, Tyrest signaled to his legislators to return to their posts, since he was not in danger.

    “Sir, I must apologize for my sudden departure,” said Star Saber, “there are things I must attend to first.”

    “No, don’t leave me!” cried Tyrest, who then winced at hearing himself say that.

    “I will return along with the Omega Key,” said Star Saber, “if there is a way we can keep in contact for your peace of mind, I’d be more than happy to make adjustments.”

    Later after going to a briefing room, Tyrest set Star Saber up with a small communication device, similar to the ones he had given his mercenaries. When everything was finished, Tyrest offered Star Saber a small ship. Star Saber politely declined the offer. Instead, he teleported away, surprising Tyrest. Star Saber appeared somewhere near the Sea of Rust. Though the land itself had always been a wasteland, something about the homecoming distressed Star Saber.

    As part of his religious devotion, Star Saber liked to be attuned to his environment in hopes of thwarting any surprise attacks. However, this came with a price; any environmental disturbance affected him as well. The land wept and recoiled because of the horrors of war, figuratively speaking. This was not the homecoming Star Saber expected. Tyrest had mentioned the Great War coming to an end, as he equipped Star Saber. Star Saber had thought everything was peaceful but it wasn’t. Star Saber began to feel the same way and curled up in the shadows, with an almost unbearable pain. After he recovered, he continued his trek deeper into the Sea of Rust which was experiencing a heavy sandstorm.

    There were old legends that the magnetic instability of the area would drive a mech insane. This was a reason he agreed to keep in communication with Tyrest, he hoped that speaking to someone in a safe location would preserve his sanity. He decided to call his host. Tyrest answered, but the magnetic influx garbled much of the communication. Star Saber eventually left the area when he searched for a decent signal. He stopped near a pole and looked up. It read “Kalis” on one sign and “Tyrest” on the other.

    Perhaps it was due to breathing in the corrosive gasses mixed with sand, Star Saber slurred into the communication device, “Do you own land on Cybertron too? How loaded are you?”

    “I beg your pardon?” replied Tyrest, who paused and thought about it, “Oh…you’re referring to that city-state near Kalis, aren’t you? I was named after it since I'm originally from there. The Tyrest Accord was signed there too. I’m aware of how confusing it is; the Accord is named after me, not the city which it was signed in but I was named after the city.”

    “What the…?” whimpered Star Saber, “Why did you do this to me?”

    Tyrest chuckled, “You’re unwell. Your speech is slurred and it seems your thoughts are racing around. If this keeps up your brain module will be damaged. I must space bridge you back…”

    With a dejected sigh Star Saber said, “Yes, bridge me out of here.”

    Within moments, the space bridge appeared and Star Saber walked through it. When he arrived at Luna-1, Tyrest was waiting for him. “Are you alright?” he asked.

    Too upset to reply, Star Saber walked passed him and teleported himself back to the chapel. He placed the Omega Key on the altar and glanced over at Cybertron that was visible from the window. A few minutes later, Tyrest entered the chapel accompanied by two legislators. By this time, Star Saber had composed himself after contemplating the events in silence.

    Star Saber shook his head, “My overconfidence made me miscalculate the trip. It seems I’m not strong-enough to finish my pilgrimage.”

    “You’ve been traveling in space for who knows how long,” said Tyrest.

    “No, it’s not that,” Star Saber shook his head.

    “Is this about needing more physical training?” asked Tyrest, “You can borrow some of my legislators if you’d like….” Tyrest stopped, “…Never mind, I rescind my offer.”

    “Wait, why?” asked Star Saber.

    “I’ll be frank with you,” Tyrest put his hand on Star Saber’s shoulder and walked closer to him “my legislators have sworn to annihilate those who would dare violate the Tyrest Accord to ensure there would be no repeat offenders. You are my guest and I like you. So I don’t even understand why that preposterous suggestion ever came to mind. Forget about it.”

    Star Saber reached over and put his hand over Tyrest’s hand. He got closer to Tyrest and whispered, “No, let me fight your deadly warriors! You can’t take back what you said either, what’s done is done.” Tyrest looked distressed. Star Saber let him go, saying, “Send them to that large crater east of here. I’ll see them there. According to my knowledge of Vector Sigma, it is protected by powerful sentries.”

    “You’re going now?!” Tyrest’s voice broke somewhat, “Be reasonable! You just returned and need to rest first.”

    “I refuse to stand down,” replied Star Saber, “remaining idle gets nothing done. I’ve tried so many times to get this through to that fool, Dai Atlas, but he never listened. Such arrogance to think the Guiding Hand will come to us in our remote and distant colony. This is one of the reasons I decided to leave. You seem like a sensible mech, chief justice. This pilgrimage is important to me and I must complete it on my own.”

    Another legislator entered the chapel with a basket filled with loaves of banana bread. Tyrest picked up one of the loaves and showed it to Star Saber. “If you’re going to leave now, it’s fine, but I insist you have something to eat to recover some energy.”

    Star Saber looked at the basket and said, “Thank you, but I cannot eat this here. If you need me, I’ll be in my room.” Star Saber took the basket and teleported with it to his room. Once he was there, he removed his helm and proceeded to devour all the loaves in the basket. He realized what he had done and sighed. He had lost his self-control again. The excessive fasting on his journey was to blame. All his bad habits, ones he claimed to rid himself, had come back. He was too ashamed to admit defeat.


	3. At the right place, at the right time.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An important and vital member of the Autobot Cause™ comes to Luna-1 to investigate Chief Justice Tyrest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another character is introduced and this song describes him: “[Tales of the Sands](https://youtu.be/o1g62x7qybA)” by Myrath.

    Just as Tyrest was going to go look for Star Saber, he was notified of an approaching spacecraft. Wary, Tyrest made contact with it. To his surprise, it was his old colleague, Emirate Xaaron. He was an average-sized mech with bright yellow plating and a silvery white crowned helm. Tyrest took a deep breath and asked, “Greetings Emirate Xaaron, what brings you to Luna-1?”

    Xaaron smiled and with a light chuckle, he replied, “No need to be so formal chief justice, I’m just paying you a little visit to see how you’re doing on behalf of the Autobot High Council and the Ethics Committee.”

    At those words Tyrest sighed, “You have permission to land.”

    A few minutes later, Xaaron landed his spacecraft on the roof. He was met by a legislator. Xaaron had never seen a legislator up close and his sheer size intrigued him. The legislator helped him unpack and they went downstairs to meet Tyrest. Alerted that Xaaron was waiting for him, Tyrest went to see him.

    It had been many years since Xaaron last saw Tyrest in person. Xaaron gasped and asked, “What happened to your beautiful body?!” Tyrest snarled, as Xaaron cried, “You’re riddled with holes!” Tyrest’s physical condition concerned the emirate, he wasn’t like that the last time he saw him.

    “My autoimmune dermal condition is none of your business!” snapped Tyrest.

    “As a public figure, you belong to the public,” replied Xaaron coldly, “it _is_ our business. You’ve been away for too long. I’d hate for my superiors to think you’re engaging in inappropriate activities because you have no alibi.”

    “What do you want me to do?” Tyrest handed his staff to a nearby legislator. With his hands raised, he circled Xaaron, “Get up on stage and start dancing in a seductive manner?”

    “That strategy always worked for shady politicians in the past,” Xaaron crossed his arms as he maintained eye-contact with Tyrest, “It’s never hurt anyone. In fact, it can also boost morale…”

    “…’Boost morale’?” Tyrest stroked his chin, which took a little longer than when other mechs did it, “Is that what they’re calling it on Cybertron, nowadays?”

    “They’ve been calling it that since the beginning of time,” replied Xaaron, “but then you’ve always been naïve about these kinds of things. Not that that’s a bad thing.”

    Tyrest saw Xaaron’s belongings, which consisted of an old five-piece luggage set, and asked, “You’ve come to stay, haven’t you?”

    “Of course!” Xaaron clapped his hands together joyfully, “I can’t observe you if I’m only here a couple of hours. Not to mention, we have a lot that we _need_ to catch up on. After all, you’re my dear friend.”

    Tyrest tried his hardest to remain calm. “Well then, let’s find you a room.” He signaled Xaaron to follow him.

    As they walked, Xaaron asked, “Why can’t I share a room with you?”

    “Knowing you Xaaron, you’ll end up investigating outside your jurisdiction,” Tyrest replied.

    With a mischievous smile, Xaaron asked again, “Tyrest, are you saying I’m not allowed to go undercover?”

    Tyrest stopped and gave Xaaron a stern look. Xaaron had barely been there for thirty minutes and Tyrest was already done with him. They continued their banter down the hallway. Both of them found their way downstairs and walked by the chapel. The chapel was still under renovation.

    Xaaron stopped and peeked inside, “Why didn’t you tell me you were religious?”

    “I’ve recently rediscovered my faith,” Tyrest stopped to give him a quick tour, “I wasn’t anything before. Your surprise was to be expected.”

    “No…you’ve got this all wrong,” replied Xaaron, “I’m religious too.” Without warning, Tyrest started to laugh. His laughter frightened Xaaron, who had never heard Tyrest laugh that way before. “I am serious!” Xaaron pouted as he crossed his arms.

    “I…I apologize,” gasped Tyrest, “I just didn’t think anyone as promiscuous as you are, was religious. Most I’ve known or have heard of, like this, are very secular.”

    “Are there any rooms near this chapel?” asked Xaaron.

    “Yes, but it doesn’t have a bed,” Tyrest then left with Xaaron to show him a small waiting room. It had a sofa and several chairs. Xaaron shrugged and accepted the room. Tyrest helped him unpack and a legislator brought over another sofa to replace the one in the room. This newer one could fold out into a bed.

    Around this time, Star Saber had made his way back down into the chapel. He noticed the commotion going on in the small room and peeked inside. Tyrest perked up his head and Xaaron looked towards the door. Xaaron checked out Star Saber as Tyrest introduced them to each other.

    “So you’re a warrior-priest?” asked Xaaron, “Tell me more.”

    “I’ve been a priest since my youth,” said Star Saber, “it’s always been a calling I’ve known for since before that. Fortunately for me, my family was also devout and helped guide me towards this path. Yes, I’ve had moments where my faith was put to the test, though I’d rather not talk about it because it’s a very painful experience. I lost a dear friend as a result. No words can describe how much I miss him.”

    Seeing that Xaaron was distracted by his conversation with Star Saber, Tyrest slipped out of the room. Tyrest wanted to stay and hear the rest of Star Saber’s anecdote, but his desire to leave was much stronger. However, Tyrest’s absence did not go unnoticed. Tyrest had forgotten how Xaaron was quick to find changes.

    “…Now that our host has left, tell me, have you noticed any suspicious activities?” asked Xaaron.

    “I’ve only known him for a few days,” replied Star Saber, “socializing exhausts him easily, but then that’s expected from an introvert. I’m sure that’s why he left. I think his grieving has become toxic. It’s affecting his health. I’ve been trying to get him to talk about it, but he refuses.”

    “What has he said about it?” asked Xaaron, “I promise I won’t tell. I’m just asking these questions because my superiors think he’s been doing illegal things. I only want to make sure that’s not the case.”

    “He said one of the reasons he left Cybertron was because everyone disrespected him after he became widowed,” said Star Saber, “he wept when I gave him my condolences. He said it was the first time someone had acknowledged his loss. Everyone else was bombarding him with marriage proposals or trying to flirt with him in some way. He said the only way to stop this harassment was to intimidate everyone, that way they'd respect him. He minimizes his socializing to avoid this situation. What’s wrong? You seem upset.”

    “I feel awful now,” whispered Xaaron, “I’ve never mentioned his conjunx’s death because I thought bringing it up would hurt him. He’s always sensitive to any mention of it. As for the flirting, I always joke like that with my friends and he’s never told me it bothers him. But then, he’s never been one to talk about anything that bothers him. I must apologize.”

    “I wouldn’t suggest it,” said Star Saber, “he thinks no one else but me knows about this. I don’t want him to lose his trust in me, but this is something you need to know. I heard part of your conversation when I walked down the hallway. He’s clearly insecure, especially when he said he needs intimidation to gain respect. Pointing out something he feels is a ‘weakness’ will upset him. This is why I don’t suggest it.”

    “Fair enough,” nodded Xaaron, “what about that autoimmune plating disorder he claims to have? I’ve been in enough criminal trials to know what an entry wound looks like when I see one…”

    “I have no idea about his condition because I don’t really know much about medicine other than a few home remedies,” said Star Saber, “he claims he gets new ones when he’s stressing out.”

    “So those holes are self-inflicted then?” asked Xaaron.

    “I don’t know and I hope not!” cried Star Saber, “Our bodies are sacred vessels that carry our sparks. Doing such a thing is sacrilegious!”

    “If you think that’s bad, then I suggest never becoming a Decepticon,” said Xaaron, “they make their badges out of their spark casing.” Xaaron then touched his Autobot badge, “My badge is not made out of body parts and I can easily remove it. But I’m proud of being an Autobot, so I don’t really take it off.”

    Before Star Saber had a chance to reply, Tyrest returned. “I see both of you are getting along well,” he said, “How about dinner? We’re going to have some steak and salad.”

    Both Xaaron and Star Saber tried their best to appear calm and nodded at the choices. To them, what made Tyrest terrifying wasn’t his intimidating demeanor; it was how well he hid things. It was scary to think that behind a calm façade, lay so much inner turmoil that no one could remedy.

    It was late and they had their dinner on the balcony. Xaaron had steak, Tyrest had salad and Star Saber had both. The evening was calm. Cybertron’s other moons were visible that night. The rest of their dinner was uneventful, as they reminisced about pre-war Cybertron. As the legislators were clearing the table, Tyrest passed Star Saber a small card beneath the table. He then got up with Xaaron to walk him to his room.

    When they left, Star Saber read the card which asked him to come to Tyrest’s room and meet him there. Star Saber teleported there and waited in Tyrest’s room for several minutes, until Tyrest arrived. Tyrest seemed more exhausted than usual.

    “This has to do with the emirate, doesn’t it?” asked Star Saber.

    “Yes,” muttered Tyrest, “he couldn’t have chosen to come at a worse time and suddenly too. Please watch what you say around him. His memory is impeccable. He is quick-thinking and he may use your words against me.”

    “But you have nothing to hide,” whispered Star Saber, “as far as I know. Everything you’ve done appears legal.”

    Tyrest sighed. “He’s a petty mech and has been out for revenge ever since I replaced him during the Aequitas Trials. There were rumors he was sleeping with one of his clients…” Tyrest continued to explain the rest of the situation. Tyrest had admitted to not investigating the incident. He chose to act quickly since he wanted to defend Xaaron’s reputation and his safety. The client was a violent and very dangerous individual. According to Tyrest, Xaaron didn’t see it this way. Noticing it was late, Star Saber excused himself and teleported out of the room.

    Several hours passed, and Tyrest couldn’t sleep. This was not uncommon for him and he preferred it as such. He recently had very pleasant and vivid dreams involving his conjunx. The dreams felt so real, as if they were things that actually happened earlier that day. However, these dreams upset him upon waking when he realized his conjunx was no longer around. The emotional pain he awoke to made it difficult to go back to sleep. It was worse when they brought him to tears. Fortunately, Tyrest felt too empty to shed a tear.

    He decided to walk down the hallways and noticed a light coming from one of the rooms. As he approached, he heard the sounds of the washer and dryer. Star Saber doing laundry in the middle of the night? It was unreasonably early. Tyrest thought about confronting him, but he decided against it. Star Saber would question why he was up as well. Tyrest returned to his room and went back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize this until after writing chapter 17 or so, that Emirate Xaaron was on board the Lost Light in Season 1 of MTMTE. Honestly, I thought he joined the crew _after_ the events of Dark Cybertron, which is Season 2. But then, you know _he's in MTMTE_ , which means if he's not one of the main ones, he's just some hoarded-up background character that shows up in a couple of panels and that's it. So yeah, he's in it! :D
> 
> But since this is set in an AU that's like G1/IDW/Marvel UK/Aligned mash-up, who cares about "accuracy"? This already went out the window along with the other main protagonists' characterization. >:3


	4. An investigation in progress.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emirate Xaaron continues his investigation and some pertinent things are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A perfect song for Tyrest: "[Beach in Hawaii](https://youtu.be/Mh0-OzeI3Ho)" by Ziggy Marley. Speaking of which, there may be some light sensual bits in this chapter.

    The next morning, Star Saber woke up and inspired by a dream he had, he wrote a teaching plan for Tyrest. As he finished, he heard a knock on the door. He answered it and saw it was Xaaron. “Good morning,” said Star Saber, as he let the emirate in.

    “Good morning to you as well, reverend,” replied Xaaron, “I thought about what you told me yesterday. So far it seems Tyrest is innocent, but like I said, I have to verify that this is true. I’m not sure if you understand my situation, but my superiors are very suspicious of Tyrest.”

    “What is the reason for them to suspect anything?” asked Star Saber, “the poor mech just wants to be left alone.”

    “Tyrest is too isolated and the fact he has hired _Decepticon_ bounty hunters is concerning to my superiors,” replied Xaaron, “I’m not sure how much he told you about the Tyrest Accord. It is a weapons trade treaty between the two factions that prevented the war from worsening. Since he was the one who orchestrated it, I understand why he’d deal with Decepticons. It's to maintain neutrality because he has to be fair to both factions. My superiors don’t see it this way and think he is planning to betray them.”

    “What do _you_ think is going on?” asked Star Saber.

    “I doubt he’d betray the Autobots, that doesn’t seem like his style,” replied Xaaron, “he has too much integrity to do something so dishonest. He won’t even take bribes. In fact, he’s the only judge we have that doesn’t accept bribes and I know he would never lie if it hurt others, particularly civilians.”

    Xaaron and Star Saber didn’t know that Tyrest had been spying on them and was watching their conversation the entire time. As Xaaron mentioned, Tyrest wouldn’t accept any bribes and this was true. This also made Tyrest a target for assassination and because of this, Tyrest was distrustful of everyone around him and had recording devices all over his home. He was even beginning to suspect the Autobot High Council and the Ethics Committee wanted him dead as well. Having heard enough, Tyrest went over to meet them.

    Tyrest knocked on the door, which startled Xaaron. Star Saber answered it and let Tyrest in. Tyrest appeared calm and collected. He smiled and said, “How long did you say you’re staying? Never mind, I’m going to assume it’s more than a week. I’m feeling generous, so I’d like to assign each of you one legislator to serve as your personal butler. They will take orders from you to make your stay more pleasant.”

    Star Saber didn’t seem excited and said, “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think I need one. I can cook and clean on my own, I don’t mind.”

    “I insist, you might need the help to finish faster and have more time for prayer,” insisted Tyrest.

    “If you put it that way, I accept,” Star Saber nodded. Tyrest’s offer was acceptable and reasonable.

    All three left the room to go choose a legislator. Star Saber wasn’t particularly picky about his, and Xaaron chose one that looked more polished. Afterwards, Star Saber stopped Tyrest and asked him about a good time to teach him about their faith. Since Tyrest wasn’t busy, he agreed to do it immediately. Star Saber ordered his legislator to fetch his books and the three of them went to the study. Tyrest had agreed without thinking about it. While Star Saber was teaching, Tyrest became more nervous. He feared Xaaron would start searching his home and couldn’t concentrate.

    Noticing Tyrest’s distress, Star Saber said, “You seem tense.”

    “My back hurts,” replied Tyrest, trying to cover up his true motives.

    “Allow me to help,” Star Saber got up and sat closer to him. Though Tyrest allowed Star Saber to give him a massage, he seemed tense. Star Saber tried his best to be gentle and firm. “Hold still and stop moving around!”

    Tyrest didn’t reply and had a difficult time staying still. Star Saber’s touch was making him very hot. Without warning, Star Saber touched the base of the wings and Tyrest let out a quiet moan. Star Saber stopped. Taking a deep breath Tyrest said, “I know you meant well, but I’m sensitive to pain. Could we please continue with the lesson? I can put up with my pain, I'll be okay. Thank you for your concern.”

    Star Saber’s legislator left to brew some chamomile tea for Tyrest. After he drank his tea, Tyrest was calm-enough to continue. Star Saber resumed, trying not to make Tyrest feel embarrassed about what had happened. Meanwhile, Xaaron was in his room with no plans to investigate any suspicious activities. Instead, he inspected his assigned legislator.

    “So Tyrest said you’ll follow my orders to make my stay more pleasant,” said Xaaron, “let’s say we do that right now. I’d like for it to be pleasurable as well.”

    The legislator was confused about what Xaaron was asking about and wrapped him up with a soft blanket. Xaaron was too comfy to complain and fell asleep. The legislator tucked him in bed and sat in the corner of the room to rest.

    A bit later, Star Saber and Tyrest made their way to the chapel, which was almost complete. Tyrest stopped by Xaaron’s room to peek and saw Xaaron asleep. Tyrest felt awful about worrying for no reason. He then followed Star Saber into the chapel and closed the door. Both of them sat on the ground facing each other.

    “Sir, you are an intelligent mech and I’m sure you’re aware of your colleague’s investigation,” whispered Star Saber, “something tells me this is the reason you’re very tense today. I doubt he will find anything incriminating here. I’ve not seen anything. But that doesn’t explain your apprehension.”

    Tyrest took a deep breath and whispered, “I don’t think you’ve ever been a position where others treated you with scorn. In the eyes of these ‘important’ individuals, I’m a filthy scoundrel.”

    “Why is that?” asked Star Saber, who was taken aback by the chief justice’s words.

    Tyrest leaned closer, “Please don’t tell anyone but I was born into poverty and during my childhood, my family was a target of a ‘racial cleansing’. Ever heard of the Open Season Massacre? Not many remember it, only the victims who were target of racial cleansing over a supposed prophecy. Who’s to say something similar won’t happen again? It’s not safe to be myself. Not to mention the Iaconians, those from the capital of Iacon, think Tyrestans, like me, are nothing but trouble.”

    “Why would they say that?” asked Star Saber, “Is it because everyone is mostly poor?”

    “Tyrest is a place where bullets follow mechs, streets swallow fools, and there’s so much herb you’d think we’d all be space explorers because of how high we get,” chuckled the chief justice. He continued, “A mix of high unemployment and overpriced necessities forced many to commit crimes just to survive. Yet, when I was rescued by my conjunx and taken to Iacon, I encountered bad mechs there too. I’m not talking about the ones living in poverty. I’m talking about the affluent ones that don’t need to steal to survive. I learned a very important lesson; money doesn’t make you a good or happy person.”

    “I’ve been meaning to ask you…what is your conjunx’s name? I’m sorry. I don’t remember hearing you mention it.”

    Tyrest took a deep breath, his voice breaking. “His name is Nova Prime. It’s that hearing his name and thinking about what happened…” Tyrest threw himself on the ground and began to wail loudly. Star Saber petted Tyrest’s head in an attempt to comfort him. Tyrest wept for several minutes. When he calmed down he muttered softly, “…I should’ve suspected something was wrong when he took out the Matrix and left it behind in the Primal Basilica. He insisted I stay behind and finish my studies.”

    Star Saber helped Tyrest stand up and sat him down on a comfortable chair. Tyrest continued to weep saying, “He was the only family member I had left and he’s gone. Suffering somewhere in the cold depths of space, alone and scared. He still out there and there's nothing I can do.” Tyrest wiped away a tear, “I cannot even cry for him. I cry because I hate myself for not being able to help the one who has helped me the most. All these years, I’ve not offered a single prayer, until recently.”

    “If you’d like, we can say a prayer together for his safe return,” Star Saber took Tyrest’s hand. Tyrest looked at Star Saber then looked away. He had no words to describe how he felt about Star Saber’s kind offer.

    Xaaron had woken up and went to peek inside the chapel. Though he missed the part where Tyrest talked about his lowly origins, he did see them praying together.

    He returned to his room and began writing an email to the Autobot Council and the Ethics Committee from his phone. The email was difficult to write because he didn’t feel right about exposing Tyrest’s privacy to them or ruining Tyrest’s cruel reputation. He knew Tyrest wouldn’t want others to know of his prolonged bereavement. As far as he was concerned, Tyrest had done nothing wrong.

    He heard the door open and put away his phone. It was his legislator who had returned with two salami sandwiches for Xaaron and himself. Xaaron took the sandwich and said, “Thank you.” The legislator seemed to smile as he sat down and joined him.

    “You and the others like you are peculiar,” said Xaaron, “Who are you and why do you serve my friend? I’m asking you, only because I know he’d never give a straightforward answer.”

    Putting the sandwich aside, the legislator stood up and began to dance in front of Xaaron who raised his hand, signaling him to stop. “Sorry, but I do not understand dancing. Is it alright if I record you so I can show it to an interpreter?”

    The legislator waited for Xaaron to get his phone and signal them to begin the dance. The dance felt contemporary but had an ancient feel to it. It went on for about 5 minutes until the legislator sat back down and resumed eating.

    “Are you an insecticon?” asked Xaaron.

    The legislator nodded.   

    “I thought so,” said Xaaron, “you insecticons communicate through dance and you all live in large groups. But I’ve never heard of any insecticon that cannot speak. Not that, that’s a problem but it makes interaction very difficult. Seeing that you can understand my words, do you all view Tyrest as your queen?”

    The legislator nodded excitedly. From Xaaron’s limited knowledge of insecticon language, certain moves were indicative of referring to the colony queen. How Tyrest was seen as their queen was still a mystery to him, but at least they seemed adamant about caring for him. Xaaron resumed writing his email but omitted the legislators because it was going to be difficult to explain.

    In the end, Xaaron wrote:

>   Esteemed High Council and Ethics Committee:
> 
>   Tyrest is annoyed at my arrival. For the most part, my stay has been pleasant. I’ve spoken to others and no one has seen any concerning activities. I have not observed any suspicious activity as of this message either.
> 
>   Regards,
> 
>   Emirate Xaaron PhD, Autobot High Council Chairman

    Satisfied with his message, he went to charge his phone. He noticed Star Saber coming out of the chapel and signaled him to come into his room. Star Saber entered Xaaron’s room and asked, “What do you need, emirate?”

    “Reverend, what do you know about these legislators?” asked Xaaron, “I tried to ask mine, but I can barely understand dancing.”

    “I don’t understand dancing either,” replied Star Saber, “but Tyrest said that they always lived here on Luna-1. At least that’s what his conjunx told him. They all wanted to coddle him, from the moment they first saw him. It annoyed Tyrest at first, because he wasn’t used to having so much attention. Eventually, he got used to their company and doesn’t feel so lonely. He said he tried to teach them how to read and write. Only a few have mastered it, but he didn't specify about that.”

    “Interesting,” said Xaaron.

    “I have a question, was Tyrest really married to…?”

    “You didn’t know?” Xaaron perked up his head, “He was married to a Prime. They were married before his conjunx became a Prime. Despite what everyone else said, they were very happy together.”

    Star Saber stepped back in surprise and asked, “What did others say?”

    “That Nova was controlling and possessive of Tyrest because he didn't go out in public much,” Xaaron shook his head, “that’s untrue! During that time, Tyrest and I were busy studying law at uni, so he couldn't go out. And when we weren't studying, we were trying to get some sleep. I know this because I was there with him. Plus, he's always been shy and gets nervous around others.”

    Xaaron then described their experience in school together. He said Tyrest was originally an engineering major, but he switched to law due to his conjunx’ insistence. Xaaron wasn't sure what career he wanted to have. His family recommended he become a lawyer because he was always arguing with everyone. Both of them were able to get exemptions to choose whatever career they wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If James Roberts can make a minibot pilot the Magnus Armor, I can make the legislators into insecticons. Fight me. (ง︡'-'︠)ง


	5. Of innocence and integrity.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback chapter retelling various anecdotes about how Tyrest met Xaaron in law school, back when they were young and [somewhat] innocent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a skippable chapter. Flashbacks are useless. What happened in the past, stays in the past. :P

    During the beginning of the Golden Age, long before the Functionalist government and the Great War, both Emirate Xaaron and Chief Justice Tyrest were a pair of young freshmen in law school. Their first true interaction happened by chance. Xaaron was stressed about an upcoming exam. Back in those days, Xaaron had a tendency to binge eat to calm down. He had gone upstairs where there was a small food stand to buy some over-priced snacks.

    As he walked to buy his snack, he took an unexpected right turn encountering Tyrest who was sitting at a table by himself. Tyrest was reviewing his notes and drinking from a large jug full of milk.  An unspoken custom at their school was to pay the professors for passing grades. Xaaron was in trouble at home and his allowance suspended. He couldn’t afford bribing his professor. He took a chance and pulled up a seat across from Tyrest with hopes of studying.

    “Hi…,” smiled Xaaron as he scooted closer to his classmate, “…I don’t know if you know me, but we’re in the same classes and you sit in front of me but towards the edge of the class and by the door.”

    “Yes, I’ve seen you before,” replied Tyrest nervously, “…you’re that student who sits right in the middle of the class, the one who plays with a glowing box.”

    “That’s a communicube!” replied Xaaron, sitting up straight, “It’s the latest trend in mobile phone technology…but yes, I do. Would you like to study with me for the exam? Please…” Xaaron put his hands together and laced his fingers. He tried to use his charm to appear cute. It was an ability that had always worked for him.

    “I don’t know,” replied Tyrest, who appeared immune to the charming, “...you don't seem to pay attention in class. But it's worth a shot. Let's do it.” Xaaron pulled out his textbook from his backpack. The book was still in its plastic wrap. Tyrest raised an eyebrow as Xaaron unwrapped the plastic off of his textbook. Xaaron made eye contact and saw Tyrest’s disapproving glare. However, it didn’t intimidate him. Instead, he felt embarrassment for disappointing him.

    Tyrest asked Xaaron what he remembered from class. Fortunately, Xaaron remembered a few things from a couple of weeks ago. Satisfied with Xaaron’s answers, Tyrest smiled at him and became more eager to help him. Tyrest liked to discuss the topics while double checking his notes and the textbook. Xaaron tried his best to keep up with him. He barely understood half the things Tyrest talked about. In the end, he managed to learn a lot in the two hours he spent with Tyrest, than he did the past week in class.

    When Xaaron arrived home, he felt his face his face was still warm. He looked in the mirror and noticed he was blushing. Since he was home alone, he came to accept that it was because Tyrest had smiled at him. It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. Tyrest appeared to be reserved type; not one to smile at anyone or anything. This made it feel even more special. Not to mention, Xaaron had a particular fondness towards tall mechs like Tyrest. But that still did little to help him calm down; in fact he got more anxious. (He was probably blushing the entire time.) Feeling he made a fool of himself, he went to eat some cake out of the fridge. Halfway, Xaaron stopped. He shook his head as he walked back to his room. It was going to be dinner soon, it was better to wait.

    The next day, they had their exam. Xaaron noticed that everyone around him filled in the answers on the answer sheet, while he looked over the test. He said a quick, silent prayer before attempting to take the test. Ten minutes in, and the majority of the class had turned in the exam and left for the day. The only ones left were himself and Tyrest.

    Xaaron had never experienced such an awful sense of dread in his life. This terrible feeling affected his ability to think about the questions. Xaaron didn’t want to disappoint his family with a terrible grade. He looked up and saw Tyrest working while the professor did a crossword puzzle. With almost 10 minutes left, Xaaron finally completed his exam and turned it in. He waited outside for Tyrest. Waiting felt like an eternity, but he heard the door open and Tyrest exited the room.

    “How was it?” asked Xaaron, who was embarrassed that his voice quivered upon asking.

    “I don’t know,” replied Tyrest, “sometimes I think I was right but I was wrong. We’ll know by this afternoon. See you later.”

    In desperation, Xaaron asked, “Where are you going?”

    “I was going upstairs where I sit at to relax,” said Tyrest.

    “Can I join you?” asked Xaaron, “I will buy you lunch.”

    “Oh…okay,” said Tyrest as they walked upstairs.

    They had some sandwiches and started talking a bit about themselves. Xaaron confessed to Tyrest that he didn’t want to disappoint his family further because he was the smallest one who had no interest in joining the military. Xaaron never felt comfortable about participating in battle or warfare. His strong desire to help others made him feel incapable of purposely inflicting harm. Aside from giving into his family’s suggestion of becoming a lawyer because he liked to argue, he saw it as a chance to help others by bringing them justice and still be able to fight without bloodshed. Tyrest looked at him with admiration for both his noble reasons and sincerity.   

    Suddenly, Tyrest pulled out his phone and said, “I’m sorry but I forgot to call Nova and tell him I finished my exam.” Tyrest got up and walked off nearby to attend to his brief phone call. Xaaron waited for Tyrest to return. Fortunately, it was a very brief phone call.

    “Who is Nova?” asked Xaaron when Tyrest returned to the table.

    “He’s my conjunx,” replied Tyrest happily, “he was the one who encouraged me to learn about law and enrolled me here. What’s wrong?”

    “How are you married?! You’re way too young, you’re like my age!” cried Xaaron. Tyrest and Xaaron’s age, back then, was somewhere between adolescence and young adulthood. (The human equivalent would be about 18 years old.) Though they were of a legal age to sign their own documentation, neither of them felt like adults. After all, they were still at school and their respective families provided financial support. This was one of the reasons Xaaron was upset.

    But the main reason he was upset was the revelation that Tyrest was already taken. It was too shocking for the little mech. That moment, he wasn’t even sure he could survive such heartbreak. He remained calm, as part of his tank pedigree. The last thing he wanted to do was make Tyrest feel bad. After all, he was aware that Tyrest may not have been interested in him because he appeared to be the type of mech who’d prefer a larger mate. Still, Tyrest was too young for marriage and it didn’t seem like he was a newlywed either. However, the possibility of arranged marriages came to mind because those do not require readiness. They were quite common back in those days.

    Xaaron’s statement and nervous body language, made Tyrest uncomfortable because it confused him. Tyrest couldn’t understand why Xaaron was upset. He tried to change the subject and picked up the nearest thing, his carrot sandwich.

    “This carrot sandwich is delicious,” he said to Xaaron, “I never expected vegetables to taste this savory without meat or meat broth. They also used lemon juice instead of vinegar and that’s why the sourness is a bit sweet. Please, try some.” Tyrest got a knife and cut a small piece from the uneaten end to offer Xaaron.

    Lifting both his hands up and moving away, Xaaron muttered, “Thank you for the offer, but I hate vegetables.”

    “What?” asked Tyrest with a bit of a chuckle, “They’re delicious! You’re missing out, fam.” Tyrest resumed eating his sandwich.

    After chatting some more and trading phone numbers, both of them went home. That afternoon, Tyrest was in his room trying to nap, when a sudden text notification woke him. He checked to see who it was, it was from Xaaron and the message appeared urgent. The grades were posted. Tyrest checked his grade and called Xaaron.

    Before Tyrest had a chance to say “Hello”, Xaaron cried, “Oh thank Primus I got a 7! Tyrest, Tyrest, I am crying. I didn’t think I was going to pass…”

    Annoyed, Tyrest continued to listen to Xaaron. He had difficulty understanding his Iaconian accent because it sounded weird to him. His conjunx spoke Iaconian too, but his accent was not as strong as Xaaron’s. Tyrest replied, “That’s good. I got an 8. This is the highest grade I’ve gotten this semester. Studying with you helped a lot. We should study again soon.”

    On the other side of the line, Xaaron was in shock. He had no plans on studying again. His family restored his allowance. And he still felt hurt about Tyrest’s marital status, that he felt he should’ve just avoided him because of that. Not wanting to sound rude or make the call awkward, Xaaron replied, “Sure. Well, I need to rest now. We have class tomorrow. Bye.”

    Xaaron sat in his beanbag chair. He didn’t know what to make of Tyrest; his integrity was the most radical thing Xaaron had ever seen. This realization brought Xaaron to tears. Disgusted by his actions, Xaaron swore to Primus he was never going to use bribery as a means to get ahead. After all, his religious family had given him the allowance so he could spend it on treats for himself. Xaaron only wanted to pass so they wouldn’t feel like they made a mistake in allowing him to attend law school. He felt he still disappointed them with his decision.

    For the next few weeks, he stayed after class to study with Tyrest. By this time, he finally got over being upset about Tyrest having a conjunx because he realized it was an irrational reason to be upset at him. He was also no longer nervous about talking to him. He did notice Tyrest was still a bit shy. Tyrest seldom spoke about himself.

    Xaaron figured out Tyrest wasn’t always upper-class. Xaaron suspected it the moment he realized that Tyrest’s first instinct wasn’t to bribe. He figured this was the reason Tyrest was withdrawn. He didn’t want others to chastise him for his previous socioeconomic status. Since Tyrest was becoming a good friend, Xaaron made sure to keep his secret and cover for Tyrest, if he were to slip up and not behave in the expected manner. In a couple of random occasions, he did have to cover for Tyrest.

    Though Tyrest tried his best to be as withdrawn as possible, his unusual beautiful appearance occasionally caught the attention of other students. Another unspoken rule was that tall submissive mechs, like how Tyrest appeared to be, were very desirable. Mechs like that were uncommon; society, in general, expected tall and large mechs to be dominant and never on the receiving end during interface. 

    The flirting annoyed and often angered Tyrest. Had he been alone, he would’ve lashed out as his classmates and such behavior would’ve gotten him expelled. Luckily, Xaaron was there to calm Tyrest and convince the others to leave him alone. As a result, Xaaron took the time to teach Tyrest how to control body language. Tyrest had a lot to learn, since Xaaron was already used to it. Eventually, Tyrest no longer received unwanted attention because his presence was no longer subdued. With a sharp piercing glare, Tyrest easily shooed any nuisance.

    One day, after finishing their study session, Xaaron asked, “Would you like to come over to my house for high tea?”

    Tyrest’s face lit up with excitement, but he replied, “Let me ask Nova.”

    Xaaron helped Tyrest text his conjunx. Tyrest had mentioned earlier that he was running out of minutes on his phone, but had unlimited texting which he never used. Nova was quick to reply and allowed him to go. Tyrest managed to fit inside Xaaron’s vehicle and they went to his house. After everything was all set, Xaaron finally served Tyrest some tea.

    “What do you think?” asked Xaaron.

    “This tea is very pleasant,” said Tyrest, who tried to hide that he was upset for being misled. Convinced the tea was herbal tea, this was the only reason Tyrest wanted to go. He did enjoy the tea, despite the disappointment, and the meal that accompanied it was pleasant.

    Feeling more comfortable around Xaaron, Tyrest invited him over to his house too. In fact, they ended up studying together at Tyrest’s house. It was a quieter environment with little interruptions. Xaaron felt it made a difference in his learning. As far as he knew, they were the only ones in their class that were in an actual study group. Everyone else was in their cliques and involved in gossip.

    Several semesters later, Xaaron still studied at Tyrest’s house. One particular day he went to the kitchen to serve himself some water. He overheard Tyrest’s conjunx talking to someone else. Being nosy, he lingered a bit in hopes of eavesdropping.

    “What?!” asked Nova in a loud whisper.

    “I’m just saying…” whispered the other voice, “…your conjunx is quite vulnerable; so young and sweet that he would believe anyone who doesn't appear threatening. Spending too much time with other mechs, might cause him to stray...”

    Nova burst into laughter. After catching his breath he replied, “I am insulted; insinuating that I’m insecure. I know my conjunx. He is faithful to me, intelligent, and suspicious of others. If that little friend of his was a threat, he would’ve cut ties with him long ago. Besides, my conjunx tells me everything. And I’ve been with enough shady mechs to distinguish the truth from lies. My conjunx is too sincere and will never lie unless it was a threat to his life. Even then, he has his subtle cues. Get out of my house Jhiaxus, you’ve gone too far.”

    Jhiaxus scoffed, “I am stating my observations. There is no need to be rude.”

    “Please…” replied Nova sarcastically, “…maybe if you understood social interaction, you’d know it’s rude to make such outrageous claims without evidence. You’re trying to plant doubt in me by questioning the honor of my conjunx. Sounds like you’re jealous of what you can’t have. Besides, the dynamics of our relationship are none of your business.”

    At that, Jhiaxus apologized, though it sounded insincere. He then got up and left the house. Seeing him leave, Xaaron hurried back upstairs, but he felt a strong hand grab hold of him. Xaaron didn't bother to struggle, he knew he was caught.

    Nova looked at Xaaron for a bit before releasing his grip on him. “You appear aware of things because you have your methods, don't you?”

    Xaaron nodded.

    "Do not mention what you've heard to Tyrest," said Nova, "he will get upset for no reason. Well...he has a good reason, but it's not worth the stress. After all, you two are busy reading all those thick expensive books..."

    "...Listen about that..." replied Xaaron.

    "Small one...," chuckled Nova, "...I am a mech of the world. I'm aware of how things work. Some mechs take pride in their accomplishments and treasure them. My mate is like you, unfit for battle, but he still wants to achieve something through hard work. So I allow him to study like a commoner. Since it pains me to see him fret, I occasionally check his progress in school and give him a little aid, if he needs it. So far, he's doing well on his own and there is no need for my meddling. I save money and he saves his integrity. Everything's under control. Does that answer your question?"

    Xaaron nodded.

    "Good..." said Nova. Xaaron was starting to go back up the stairs when Nova grabbed him again. "...One more thing. Since you seem to be his only friend, due to his mistrustful nature. Do me a favor, keep an eye out for him for me, keep him safe. Now go, before he starts wondering what happened to you."

    Xaaron hurried back to Tyrest's room. Tyrest had been busy writing his paper, he had not realized that Xaaron took a long time to return. They continued to work together. Xaaron thought about what Nova had said to him.

    Eventually, Xaaron and Tyrest were closer to graduation. During that time they had a week-long vacation. Xaaron had planned to invite Tyrest to spend time with him and his family. However, Tyrest had other plans. He felt extreme guilt for neglecting his conjunx due to his studies and wanted to spend his vacation with him. As a result, he rejected Xaaron's offer when asked. Though Xaaron was hurt, he understood and accepted Tyrest's motives.

    When they returned from vacation, Xaaron asked Tyrest how it went. Tyrest looked upset, "It was awful. On that evening after class, I had dinner with my conjunx and then everything went black. Later, I woke up in bed and felt very sick. My conjunx told me I had fallen and hit my head on the edge of the table. He looked over me and made sure I didn't need to be hospitalized. I'm okay now. I just feel awful for giving him a reason to worry. I was unwell all week."

    Something didn't seem right to Xaaron. However, he couldn’t figure it out and tried not to let his imagination get the best of him. He just kept observing Tyrest in the meantime. At that time, nothing appeared to be wrong. Often, Xaaron wondered if it was paranoia or jealousy that made him think Tyrest was in imminent danger. He tried not to let it bother him, but that was a difficult thing to do.

    The time of their graduation arrived and both of them graduated. Though they weren't some of the better students, they still passed. Happy that he had passed through the honest method, Xaaron bought Tyrest a big plushie and some dark chocolate candy bars as a gift. Tyrest bought a gift for Xaaron too. It was a complete five-piece luggage set, since he wanted to give his friend something useful for studying with him.

    They attended the ceremony and received their diplomas. After the ceremony, one of their professors pulled them aside to speak with them in private. Both of them were confused and Tyrest was convinced they were in trouble.

    Trying to hold back his tears, the professor said to them, "Thank you so much for giving a tired old mech, like me, hope. It has been many, many years since I've seen students who actually care about justice. The effort both of you had put in your work, speaks volumes about who you are as individuals. It makes me happy to know that there are still good mechs who work hard to serve the community. I will be more than happy to pull strings and do favors to guarantee both of you employment."

    "Thank you so much," replied Tyrest as he wiped away a tear. His voice started to sound a bit different.

    Realizing that Tyrest struggled to maintain composure, Xaaron said, "We're very excited about graduating!" He then began to chat with the professor, to give Tyrest time to calm down.

    Xaaron and Tyrest still kept in touch after graduation. Xaaron decided to study further and dragged Tyrest to study alongside him. Tyrest wanted to continue engineering which he abandoned after his conjunx's insistence. His conjunx continued to encourage Tyrest to study law, particularly since it's beneficial. He was right. After all, Nova was aware of how things worked. It was how he managed to stay in control of the situation, by thinking and planning ahead.

    However, it didn’t seem Nova planned things out too well, because much later he and his crew disappeared after setting off to explore the vast regions of space aboard the Ark-1. Tyrest had, had various nightmares regarding that voyage and had begged Nova not to go. Nova, of course, had ignored him since Nova was confident he knew more about things than his conjunx. (Plus, he felt Tyrest was being too clingy and that was the main reason he had often encouraged Tyrest to go out more.)

    Nova’s disappearance was devastating to Tyrest. He had lost the most supportive person in his life and his last remaining member of his family. The disappearance happened at an unfortunate time, Tyrest was only a few weeks away from receiving his PhD in criminal justice. The loss was so upsetting he wanted to withdraw from school and life, in general. Though Xaaron didn’t exactly do anything to comfort Tyrest for his loss, but he tried his best to encourage him to finish school.

    However, the encouragement didn’t seem to work. Xaaron then broke his promise and bribed the professors behind Tyrest’s back to help him pass the last few weeks. Though he passed, things didn’t get any better. Xaaron was terrible at comforting his grieving friend because he didn’t know what to do or what to say to make him feel better.

    Since everyone was under the impression his marriage was arranged, Tyrest suddenly had many suitors asking to marry him. The custom was that the first marriage was usually out of interest and the second marriage after widowing was the legitimate one, in terms of love. However, Tyrest was madly in love with his conjunx and found the influx of sudden marriage proposals of very poor taste. Especially, since they started exactly a week after Nova was declared deceased. At that point, Tyrest became more withdrawn and his joy seemed to have completely faded away.

    This made their relationship more distant, which only worsened due to various things including the war. But Xaaron never stopped caring about his friend. He hoped that perhaps one day, he would be able to see him smile again, even if it was a small smile.


	6. What makes us different.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber tries to train Tyrest in the art of sword-fighting, more specifically in the style that the knights of the Circle of Light had developed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has sexual touching in it.

    Though Xaaron’s anecdote was a bit lengthy, it gave Star Saber time to think. He still could not believe Tyrest was a Primal Consort due to his ignorance about religious topics. The emirate mentioned Tyrest never had any objections to prayer when he wanted to pray together with him. The entire situation confused Star Saber and gave him a headache.

    The next day, Star Saber woke up and decided to go to the stadium within the compound to train Tyrest how to fight. Tyrest needed a break from scholarly studies, as did Star Saber. He knew Tyrest was awake and decided to call him to inform him about his plan. Tyrest said he would arrive after he had finished his work.

    About half an hour later, training began in the stadium’s arena. Star Saber started with a smile, slow-paced stretching routine. Tyrest had mentioned, he rarely exercised and was likely not able to do anything intense. With Star Saber around, it was the end of Tyrest’s inactivity. The warm-up lasted about 15 minutes. Happy with the progress, Star Saber wanted to move on.

    Star Saber said, “Today I will teach you basic sword fighting skills.” Star Saber pulled out his Saber Blade and handed it to Tyrest.

    “Star Saber, why do I need sword fighting lessons if I have others that protect me?” asked Tyrest as he took the sword from Star Saber, examining it further.

    “Primus created us Cybertronians as a proud warrior race in which music and passion flows through our veins, in addition to energon,” replied Star Saber, “Purposely avoiding this is a clear violation of Primus’ will. You wouldn’t want to disobey Primus’ will, right?”

    They resumed their fighting stance. Tyrest held the Saber Blade, as Star Saber stood behind him. He moved his hands down Tyrest’s waist and repositioned his hips, before wrapping his arms around Tyrest, adjusting his posture. Tyrest found Star Saber’s touch uncomfortable, though nothing about it felt threatening. Maintaining his composure Tyrest asked softly, “If this is parrying practice, then why are you standing so close behind me?”

    “You need to assume the proper stance,” Star Saber whispered in Tyrest’s ear as he adjusted him, “...but you keep wiggling like you’re made out of jelly.”

    “It’s because you’re...tickling me…” Tyrest gasped.

    “Tickling you…?” asked Star Saber, who remembered Tyrest telling touching in that same way caused him immense pain. (He had forgotten about not touching him.) Star Saber backed away as Tyrest tried to calm himself. Tyrest realized his contradictory statement and panicked. Just as he was ready to flee, Star Saber grabbed him by the arm, “Why are you running away like you did something wrong?”

    Tyrest was too embarrassed to answer. Star Saber sighed, “You have done nothing wrong. I honestly didn’t think you were one of those sensitive ‘unit’ mechs…”

    Tyrest gasped, “I’m not a ‘unit’ mech…” Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, Star Saber grabbed Tyrest by the waist and pulled him towards him. Star Saber then pressed Tyrest’s aft against his crotch. The friction made Tyrest let out a soft whimper as he dropped the Saber Blade. It had been years since anyone got a hold of him in such a strong forceful manner, seemingly dominated him through touch. Star Saber let him go just before he could cause Tyrest further discomfort. Star Saber only wanted to prove a point.

    “You didn’t even try push me away,” said Star Saber calmly, “typical behavior dictated by your instincts. Unfortunately, this does pose a problem, not only are you easy to disable and _more_ vulnerable than anticipated, but I can’t train you like I’ve been accustomed to. Training of this sort has always been very tactile and physical in nature. I don’t want to cause you any distress.”

    “So fighting lessons are cancelled?” asked Tyrest with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

    “Of course not,” chuckled Star Saber as he picked up his sword off the ground and put it away, “you still need to learn how to defend yourself. You can’t rely on others to defend you. There will come a time that no one will be able to defend you except for yourself. I learned this the hard way long ago. None of us were ready to fight and I’d hate for such a thing to catch you off-guard. Especially, if you’re easy to take advantage of you in such unfortunate ways…Punch me!”

    “I beg your pardon?” asked Tyrest.

    “Punch me!” said Star Saber, “I need to get a test of your strength. Punch me anywhere and give it all you’ve got. I can take it. After all, I am a warrior.”

    Tyrest took a deep breath and swung at Star Saber, punching him in the abdomen. Tyrest hit Star Saber so hard, it knocked the wind out of him and dented his torso. Panicking, Tyrest screamed, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry…!” Star Saber was not upset or offended; in fact, it was a very pleasant surprise. He wasn’t expecting Tyrest to be that powerful.

    As Tyrest helped Star Saber stand, he noticed Xaaron had been watching them. “Why are you here?!” cried Tyrest as he let go of Star Saber.

    Xaaron had become curious when Tyrest did not show up for breakfast. Xaaron had mentioned this to Tyrest the night before. (Tyrest had forgotten, otherwise he would’ve told Star Saber to reschedule the fighting lessons.) Annoyed and a bit upset, Xaaron had his legislator help look for Tyrest until they found him in the arena. When he had arrived, Tyrest was finishing his stretches. Xaaron decided to sit down in the bleachers to observe the spectacle which made him forget about Tyrest’s broken promise.

    Xaaron smiled at Tyrest and said to him, “I just wanted to look. Besides, you’re so adorable trying to train. You always are, but still…”

    “Why look when you can participate too?” asked Star Saber as he teleported next to Xaaron. He picked him up by the collar as his legislator looked on.

    “Unhand me!” cried Xaaron, “No! I am not meant to fight. I am frail. Help!”

    Protesting was futile. Star Saber teleported with Xaaron to the bottom of the arena. Xaaron’s legislator followed them and sat next to Star Saber’s legislator to observe the training from the sidelines. They had no interest in rescuing Xaaron. After all, Xaaron was the one who wanted to meddle, so they allowed him to get involved. Tyrest laughed at Xaaron’s predicament.

    “Do not deride me!” snapped Xaaron. Tyrest continued to laugh at him. He was no longer upset at Xaaron for spying on him.

    After Tyrest and Xaaron settled down, Star Saber said, “First thing I have to do is figure out your fighting style. May the both of you please transform into your alt-modes.”

    Tyrest was about to transform when Star Saber stopped him. “Sir, you’re not doing it correctly.”

    “What do you mean?” asked Tyrest, a bit annoyed.

    “When you transform, you’re supposed to shout ‘Transform!’ and then transform,” said Star Saber, “it is proper etiquette.”

    Tyrest had never heard of this etiquette custom before. Not wanting to start an argument, Tyrest shouted, “Transform!” He transformed into his alt-mode, a large ornate plane. Despite the numerous holes and scratches all over his frame, Tyrest’s alt-mode was very beautiful.

    As Star Saber inspected him, he picked up Tyrest and flipped him over, before placing him back on the ground. Confused, Star Saber asked, “Where are your cannons?”

    “I don’t have cannons or guns,” replied Tyrest, “I’ve never had any on me in my entire life, as far as I’m aware of. Not even missiles or bombs.” After all, Tyrest was one of those special, harmless mechs despite his size and strength.

    Taking a deep breath, Star Saber turned to Xaaron. “How come you haven’t transformed? Is it due to a medical problem?” Concerned he added, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

    With an uneasy smile Xaaron whispered, “No it’s not that. It’s that…” He covered his face, taking a deep breath, “…it’s been so long since I last transformed…The shock to my system would kill me.”

    Tyrest reverted to his robot-mode and bent over, so he’d be at eye-level with Xaaron. “That sounds like a problem with your t-cog then. If you want, I could try to transform you manually. I think I remember what your alt-mode looked like from back in law school. You were a grounder, right?”

    Xaaron nodded. Tyrest then sat on the ground and held Xaaron on his lap. Xaaron looked visibly nervous as Tyrest slowly tried to transform him carefully. Star Saber sat down across from them to observe. The entire ordeal was stressful for the poor emirate.

    Star Saber got up and handed Tyrest some oil, since he noticed Xaaron’s agony when his joints moved. Tyrest then poured the oil into some of Xaaron’s joints to loosen them up. The oil made Xaaron feel worse because it reminded him of a massage from a functionist-era bathhouse. Xaaron prayed in silence hoping to maintain his composure.  Realizing Xaaron’s further distress, Tyrest touched him more gently, which only worsened the ordeal.

    The emirate did not want to embarrass himself in front of both of them. He wiggled and whined to cover up the fact his erect spike hit his crotch-plate. He also hoped all that oil also covered up the fact he was wet from the sensation. Fortunately, Tyrest didn’t notice, since he was having difficulty transforming the emirate. However, Star Saber noticed and tried his best to play off his frustrations. He turned his back to them, to provide privacy.

    Star Saber thought about his next move. By the looks of it, teaching both how to fight was going to be difficult because both were “sensitive”. Star Saber was so lost in thought; he didn’t hear Tyrest say he was done the first time. Star Saber turned around on the second time and saw that Tyrest kneeling in front a yellow mini-tank. Star Saber had never seen a tank that small before. Most tanks he’s met were large mechs who were always eager to brawl.

    “If you’ll excuse me, I must clean up,” said Tyrest. He walked over Xaaron and the two legislators accompanied him to the restroom. (Unlike Star Saber, the legislators knew how to handle the chief justice without making him uncomfortable.)

    Star Saber knelt in front of Xaaron to inspect him. “Your alt-mode is clearly designed for combat. From my own quick overview, you are balanced in terms of fighting abilities since your small size increases your agility and your armored frame gives you a reasonable defense rating. You’d make the perfect warrior.”

    “Oh I wish,” replied Xaaron, “hate to break it to you, but I suck. I’m fully aware of my weaknesses. I apologize for disappointing you, reverend. I don’t even think I have any missiles on me.”

    “There’s only one way to find out,” said Star Saber as he grabbed Xaaron’s cannon and started jerking it.

    “Reverend!” cried Xaaron as he tried to reverse out of the way.

    It didn’t take much to make Xaaron fire and blow up a small portion of the bleachers. Star Saber raised an eyebrow. “It is a sin to lie.”

    “Ugh!” groaned Xaaron, as he transformed back to his robot-mode, “I just don’t like to fight or train, okay? I don’t like getting tired and I don’t want to get beaten up.”

    “What do you like, then?” asked Star Saber.

    “I don’t think I can answer that question appropriately...,” replied Xaaron, “...but I do love meat pot pies…”

    “Objection!” interjected Tyrest as he came out of the restroom all clean. As far as the chief justice knew, the emirate was against the use of recreational drugs.

    “...Oh...I do like verbal combat,” whispered Xaaron to Star Saber, “...but I don’t want to do that with my friend. Especially, since I can get a little carried away and he doesn’t need to deal with that.” Xaaron shouted at Tyrest, “Chief justice, why are you trying to argue about things you don’t know about? Pot pies aren’t even cooked in pots, at least the kind I like. They are baked in cupcake trays.”

    Tyrest stopped and realizing the misunderstanding he shouted back, “Why can’t you Iaconians eat normal food like fried plantains with cream?”

    “Please be quiet!” shouted Star Saber. Training was very important to Star Saber and as much as he liked having fun, he didn’t like getting distracted by pointless whining. Tyrest and Xaaron stopped bickering and looked at Star Saber.

    Taking a deep breath, Star Saber said, “This has proven to be very difficult, since neither of you are warrior-types. I will have to go back and change my lesson plans. Both of you are dismissed.”

    At that Tyrest shouted, “Transform!” and transformed into his alt-mode. Xaaron then hoped on top of him, as they left in a hurry. Disappointed, Star Saber headed to the chapel to pray. Meanwhile, Tyrest flew back to his villa with Xaaron. He landed on a porch and transformed back to his robot-mode, as Xaaron jumped off of him.

    “You seem to be knowledgeable about things,” said Tyrest, “do you know of any veracious mercenary interested in becoming my enforcer?”

    Xaaron shook his head. All the mercenaries he could think of were morally dubious. He asked, “Why can’t you hire that one jailer you always message? You look so pleased when you’re talking to him. He must be doing a fine job.”

    “Xaaron, he is a minibot!” cried Tyrest, “The last time I had a minibot as an enforcer…it didn’t end well and I don’t want this youngster to suffer that same fate. Yes, he does an excellent job and I think I’ve taken a liking to him because he reminds me of myself when I was his age. It’s too dangerous a job for him.”

    “What happened to that other minibot, if you don’t mind me asking?” asked Xaaron.

    “He was crushed,” said Tyrest coldly, “90% of his body was damaged beyond repair. Somehow he survived that and all of the consequential surgeries afterwards. He was never the same again. Yes, enforcing the Tyrest Accord is a difficult job, but that’s because the violators tend to be very awful mechs.”

    Not having anything else to say they headed their separate ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this entire story was originally only going to be porn until I got convinced to make it political by a couple of friends. As a result, many of the explicit scenes it was meant to have got removed since I couldn't justify them and many ruined whatever random mood I'm trying to convey. 
> 
> Only one of these scenes survived ([Chapter 14](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765/chapters/16141507)), but then I'm a sucker for that kink that's mentioned there.


	7. Spontaneous mediation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrest is confronted.

    When he finished his prayers, Star Saber checked on Xaaron, whose room was nearby, and saw that he was asleep. He then went to check on Tyrest. Tyrest was sitting up in bed with his wings drooping down significantly. When Tyrest realized he was being observed, he raised his wings up more and tried to look vigilant.

    “I apologize if I embarrassed you in front of your friend, that was never my intention,” said Star Saber as he approached him.

    “You do not owe me any apologies…” replied Tyrest, “I should’ve been more truthful about my situation. It’s just that…I don’t need to say anything. No one dares pry, but then you…”

    “In part, I feel that it’s a requirement,” said Star Saber, “How can I help you if I don’t even know what’s wrong?”

    Tyrest’s eyes widened, he snapped, “There is nothing wrong!” He paused and turned to Star Saber, who still looked at him in a poignant manner. Tyrest tried to smile, but it was an exaggerated forced grin and only made him look more miserable, “Everything is okay.” He realized that Star Saber could not be fooled. He turned away; his voice breaking, “I’m not weak.”

    “Of course you’re not weak,” scoffed Star Saber, “you managed to dent my frame and take my breath away with a single punch. If your ‘weakness’ is in reference to your emotional state, then that’s entirely different. Perhaps you were raised in a hostile, toxic environment. The kind that makes you feel it's wrong to tell anyone that you have problems because they would punish you for it. Perhaps you’re trying your best to live up to an impossible standard you set for yourself. Whatever is going on, it’s overwhelming you because you have no way of venting. Sooner or later, you’re going to crack in the most unwanted place.”

    “Are you a psychic?” asked Tyrest.

    Star Saber shook his head, “No, but I have dealt with many mechs who have very strong emotional problems. They didn’t know where else to turn, so they thought talking to a priest was a good idea. It was and what I couldn’t help them with, I’d refer them to someone who could. I don’t understand why you’d be nervous about talking to me. I’ve told you many times there’s no need to do so. You can tell me anything.”

    Tyrest mumbled something.

    “What did you say?” asked Star Saber leaning in closer.

    Taking a deep breath, Tyrest whispered, “You remind me of my conjunx. Your godly physique, the way you seem to like having a battle-mask at all times, and the way your finials stick out…” Tyrest turned away. He was too embarrassed to admit that he began to desire Star Saber.

    Star Saber thought about it for a while. The way the legislators were protective of Tyrest, they would’ve attacked him the moment he laid his hands on Tyrest. Not to mention, Tyrest seemed more distraught about Xaaron spying on them. Star Saber had always been slow to pick up those types of subtle cues. However, due to the circumstances he replied, “I’m not Nova nor will I ever be him. You can’t get over him and it’s gotten to the point you want a replacement because you miss him so much. I’ve lost someone too and replacements only lead to more heartbreak. They’ll never be like the one you seek to replace no matter how hard they try.”

    Tyrest sighed. He knew Star Saber was right.

    “I don’t want to be the cause of your distress or temptation,” said Star Saber, “For that reason, I feel I should resume my pilgrimage. You could argue that we’re both single; I’m alone and you’re a widow. But then it’s clear that you just want your conjunx and only him. Therefore, it would make this situation bad because it is unfair for both of us. Do not fret. When I go to Vector Sigma, I shall ask what we should do next. I will return and tell you. I promise. If you need the reassurance, you’ve not done anything to offend me.”

    He looked at Tyrest, who seemed a bit more relieved.

    Chuckling, Star Saber said, “If you want, I’ll be more than happy to convince the emirate to come with me. I know you don’t want him around.”

    Tyrest shook his head, “What? No, you’ve got it all wrong. He is my friend. I just don’t feel comfortable due to the circumstances of his visit and the fact he’s mad at me. He’s probably looking for an excuse to get revenge and I don’t want that. I have no idea how to apologize to him. I have never wanted to offend him. I’m bad at socializing.”

    “He doesn’t look upset, and from what you’ve told me about him, I doubt he is,” replied Star Saber, “I’m sure he probably used this investigation as an excuse to visit you. It seems like he’s the busy type and this war has made travel difficult anyway. I will speak to him on your behalf.”

    Before Tyrest had a chance to object, Star Saber teleported out of the room.

    Xaaron had barely woken up and before he knew it, he was face-to-face with Star Saber.

    “Reverend,” purred Xaaron, “this was certainly…unexpected.”

    “You like straightforwardness,” replied Star Saber.

    “Of course…” said Xaaron has he tried to hold back the fact he wanted to say, _I like big strong mechs who’re capable of destroying me, such as yourself_. Experienced with wit, Xaaron did not say anything else to incriminate himself further. Instead, he asked, “What is it that you want to tell me?”

    “Are you upset at Tyrest for replacing you because of suspicion that you were having a relationship with one of your clients?” asked Star Saber.

    Xaaron tilted his head back and laughed. “Seriously? He thinks I’m still upset over Impactor? I admit that I was so furious over what happened because he believed those rumors. Most of which seemed to imply that Impactor paid me for my services in than manner. I know my boundaries and respect them. Besides, I was already in a relationship with him long before the trial, back when he was my bodyguard. Our encounters had nothing to do with him being my client. Am I still mad about it? No not anymore, and I understand Tyrest did it because he wanted to protect me. I have no reason to be mad with him now. I’m over it. Wait a minute, he just told you this and you came over here to tell me…”

    Before Star Saber had a chance to reply, Tyrest barged into the room with a panicked looked on his face. It was too late.

    Xaaron sighed, “Tyrest, let bygones be bygones. I’m not mad at you, nor am I using this visit as an excuse to get revenge. Dear Primus, I’m not _that_ petty! My intentions are pure. I just want to see you again and this is the only way I could do so. It’s practically a paid vacation where I get to spend time with my good friend.” Xaaron smiled.

    Tyrest looked at Star Saber, but he could not say anything. Though he was annoyed, he wasn’t mad at Star Saber because he had the courage to say what he could not.

    “You should know me by now,” said Xaaron, “it takes a lot to offend me. Nonetheless, I accept your apology.”

    Tyrest couldn’t hide how uneasy he felt.

    Though Xaaron was calm, Tyrest's apprehension around him was painful. He felt an immense guilt for having argued with Tyrest over something so small. Xaaron didn’t realize how delicate his friend was because he had learned to mask his emotions too well. Seeing Tyrest’s reluctance to believe him, Xaaron said, “Look at me. I’m smaller and weaker than you. If I got mad and started wanting to pick a fight with you, you could easily kick me away.”

    “I do not assault my friends!” snapped Tyrest.

    “Not literally!” Xaaron covered his face as an attempt to hide his facepalm. Uncovering his face, he added, “I’m saying there’s no logical reason to be nervous or scared around me. You’re strong. I don’t think any of the bodyguards I’ve ever had, perhaps maybe that legislator, could do that much damage with a single punch.”

    “Chief justice, sir,” interjected Star Saber, “Though your dread is justified, the emirate means you no harm. Look at him. Does that look like the face of someone who would wish and do you any ill?”

    Tyrest looked at Xaaron. Their gazes met, yet Tyrest did not look away. He slowly shook his head. Sensing their need for privacy, Star Saber left the room. At that, Xaaron tipped-toed closer to Tyrest and said to him, “Tyrest, listen to me.” Tyrest picked up Xaaron and stood him on his bed, so that they would be at eye-level with each other. Xaaron leaned closer to Tyrest and whispered, “You, above all people, should know that I have no patience for fools or failures. Unlike my colleagues on the Autobot High Council, you are neither a fool nor a failure. I took the first opportunity I could to leave. Now I’m here with you. Besides, you have been a very good friend of mine. You deserve more patience than I can ever be able to give you.”

    Tyrest said nothing. Though it was clear he felt guilty for not being straightforward with Xaaron. Yet, he did not feel ready to open up to him. Xaaron understood his reluctance and left his presence. He walked over to the chapel in hopes of finding Star Saber and he found him there. Star Saber was putting the finishing touches on the chapel. It was finally completed.

    Before Star Saber had a chance to speak with the emirate, Xaaron said, “Reverend, I would like to accompany you on your pilgrimage.”

    Star Saber was surprised at Xaaron’s request. He didn’t remember mentioning his pilgrimage directly to him. But he figured that Xaaron must’ve picked it up from a passing conversation with Tyrest. After all, Xaaron was good at noticing small details.

    “It is very dangerous, have you told Tyrest about your plans?” asked Star Saber, “This journey is not for someone who is frail.”

    Narrowing his eyes, Xaaron said, “Star Saber, I am a tank. I am built for combat. Listen, I know you’re just trying to get me to admit this. But to tell you the truth, I do not enjoy fighting. Pacifism is in my very core.” Xaaron noticed Star Saber’s body tense up as soon as he said that. Sensing he struck a nerve, Xaaron said, “I will only fight if I have to, to defend myself or others around me. Fighting has always been something unpleasant for me. I rather solve problems in a nonviolent manner. But please, let me join you. I sense that this pilgrimage would help me better understand my current situation. Perhaps it can help me find a way to bring comfort to my dear friend.”

    Seeming to calm down a bit, Star Saber muttered, “Hmm…”

    “…Plus I need it for myself too,” said Xaaron, “As much as I hate to admit it, my work has left me with little time to attend to my spiritual needs, though the war has made that very difficult for everyone. Those weak of faith have unfortunately devolved to godless heathens. I certainly would not want to follow in their footsteps.”

    “Very well, we will tell him tonight,” said Star Saber, “I don’t want him to be too overwhelmed and he needs time to rest.”

    “Agreed,” nodded Xaaron as he looked at the finished chapel. Star Saber then showed him the Omega Key and told him how he found it stored away in one of Tyrest’s rooms. They had a brief discussion on the matter, before Xaaron decided to leave and look for Tyrest.


	8. Realm of the Sand Viceroy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber and Xaaron arrive in the Sea of Rust. There, another weary mech joins them on their pilgrimage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another character is introduced and this song describes him: “[Fly Away](https://youtu.be/6iqnIaT7sAE)” by Lenny Kravitz.

    Just before dinner, Xaaron finally found Tyrest. He had spent the rest of the evening looking for him. Tyrest had not replied to any of the messages up until only moments before. In the replies, Tyrest claimed to have left his phone muted. Both were on their way to the dining room.

    “Tyrest!” he said, “I need to tell you something of the utmost importance.”

    Tyrest crouched down to be at eye-level with Xaaron. Xaaron had to think fast. So he wrapped his left arm around Tyrest’s neck and took two selfies with him. He moved with such agility, it looked like he only took one selfie.

    When Tyrest realized what happened, he shrieked, “How dare you?! Delete that picture at once!”

    “No!” smirked Xaaron as he stored his phone in his subspace.

    “Don’t you dare upload it!” shouted Tyrest, “It will ruin my image and if you do, I swear…”

    “But you always come out looking cute!” interjected Xaaron.

    “I know, but ‘cute’ does not evoke fear to those who dare violate the Tyrest Accord,” replied Tyrest. With an icy glare, Tyrest said, “So I suggest you delete it.”

    Star Saber had heard the commotion and approached them. “What’s going on?” He knew the chief justice was generally the quiet type and for him to raise his voice, something had upset him.

    “Tyrest is mad at me because I took a photo with him,” said Xaaron calmly.

    “You tricked me!” cried Tyrest, “You know I don’t like having my photo taken.”

    “But Tyrest…it’s been so long since we last saw each other,” said Xaaron, “even if I ask, you would never want to take a photo.” Xaaron frowned and his hands began to tremble. “I’m sorry. I just want something to remember you by. I haven’t seen you in so long and have no idea when I’ll be able to again. You know I will never post photos of you.”

    Tyrest’s eyes widened and he turned to Star Saber, “Do not listen to him! He is trying to guilt you into agreeing with him!”

    “But he has a point…,” said Star Saber.

    Xaaron grinned.

    “…Do not worry, if he were to post those photos on the internet I will teleport next to him and kick his aft,” said Star Saber.

    Xaaron who had gasped in fear, “Reverend…!” He knew Star Saber wasn’t the type to joke about these sorts of things.

    Tyrest burst into laughter. Being a petty individual, seeing Xaaron’s plan partially backfire was the perfect revenge. They all went to the dining room for dinner. Star Saber had realized that Xaaron hadn’t told Tyrest about joining him on the pilgrimage.

    They had beans and rice, and beans with chunks of meat for dinner, along with fried vegetables. Xaaron looked at his meal with disgust.

    “What’s wrong?” asked Star Saber, who mixed the two bean dishes together before eating them.

    “I hate beans!” pouted Xaaron.

    Tyrest looked insulted, “Excuse you. Beans are delicious! They are a good source of nitrogen. You need more nitrogen so you wouldn’t look so pale.”

    “What do you have against paleness?” asked Xaaron, who picked out the chunks of meat.

    “Paleness means you’re sickly, weak, and that you don’t get enough sun,” replied Tyrest.

    “Well, I don’t get enough sun because I never get enough of you,” said Xaaron with a smug grin.

    Tyrest rolled his eyes and continued eating his meal.

    Star Saber looked at them and asked, “Emirate, have you told the chief justice of your plans to join me on my pilgrimage, or have you changed your mind?”

    “Is this true?” asked Tyrest, who failed to hide his worried expression.

    Xaaron looked around nervously. He kept procrastinating because he didn’t want to worry Tyrest, but at the same time he wanted to go. He nodded slowly. “I was the one who asked Star Saber. Like not every day you’re going to get asked to partake in a holy pilgrimage. I had to seize the opportunity. You should come with us. After all, you’ve got an automated system running while you’re relaxing at home. This pilgrimage will help open your mind and spark to Primus.”

    “It’s too dangerous!” interrupted Star Saber, “I don’t think I’d be able to protect both of you.”

    “That’s okay, I…I didn’t really want to go,” chuckled Tyrest nervously, “…going outside makes me nervous. But please be careful.”

    “Don’t worry, we will,” said Xaaron. He slid his untouched beans and fried vegetables towards Star Saber. Xaaron looked down at his plate and saw that the food disappeared. He looked at Star Saber who was wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Amazing…,” whispered Xaaron.

    After dinner, Star Saber signaled Xaaron to follow him and they both entered the kitchen. Tyrest followed them out of curiosity and saw that they were packing their own meals. In fact, it looked more like they were stuffing their subspaces with a banquet.

    Tyrest asked, “You two are leaving now?”

    “Of course,” said Star Saber, “the sooner we begin our pilgrimage, the better. Don’t worry; I still have that phone you gave me earlier.”

    “Oh…well, good luck,” said Tyrest who quickly ran out of the room.

    Xaaron wanted to run after him, but Star Saber grabbed a hold of him. “Let him go. There is no doubt our departure makes him remember an unpleasant event. As long as we keep in contact with him, there should be no problem.”

    Xaaron sighed. He knew Star Saber was correct but he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

    When they finished packing their meal, Star Saber went walked outside. The emirate had gone back to his room, because he said he forgot something. A few minutes later, Xaaron met up with Star Saber at a small plaza. The night was quiet, the sky was clear, and the air around them stood still. This was perfect weather for teleporting.

    Xaaron wrapped his arms around Star Saber’s neck as Star Saber sat on the ground.

    Star Saber concentrated on his destination. The journey required most of his energy to teleport both him and the emirate to the Sea of Rust. Once he felt himself build up enough energy, he teleported taking Xaaron with him. Within an instant, both were near the Sea of Rust. They had landed near Kalis. Dizzy, Xaaron let go of Star Saber and collapsed on the sand. When he started regaining his equilibrium, he pulled out his phone to check if it was safe; it was. He sent a text to Tyrest to let him know that they had arrived.

    Star Saber looked at the terrain, it looked much different that when was last there. In fact, it wasn’t an arid wasteland at all, only very sandy. He wouldn’t have known since he landed there in the middle of an intense sandstorm. (Probably should’ve checked the forecast before deciding to travel.) Because of his acute vision, he could see the Sea of Rust from the horizon, its waters were actually a vibrant blue, but the sands surrounding the sea were as red as rust. This is how the sea got its name. The land itself felt very tropical, similar to Luna-1.

    “Dear Primus, this place is beautiful!” said Xaaron, who started taking photos of the landscape.

    “You’ve never been here before?” asked Star Saber.

    “No, I thought this place was unsafe because of the crime,” replied Xaaron, “I expected it to look rougher. Then again, looks can be deceiving.”

    However, their arrival did not go unnoticed. They attracted the attention of an unarmed civilian. He approached them in a cautious manner after discarding his thick cigarette. He was blue and white, wore a visor and was a bit taller than the emirate. He slid down from the top of the dune and tumbled his way towards them.

    “Whoa…” he said as he stood up, “…how’d you two get all the way out here?”

    Star Saber replied, “I teleported us here.”

    “Bruh…I heard that teleportation was like a special inborn talent,” said the mech as he walked closer to them, “…like you have to channel all of your inner swag to pull something off like that. And you need to have a ton of swag too, right?”

    “Yes…” said Star Saber, “…it also requires years of training and self-control. Those who are masters of this skill are formidable warriors."

    “That’s why you’re so huge right?” asked the mech as he held on to Star Saber’s arm, feeling its strength through touch. Xaaron shot a menacing glare at him, but the mech ignored him. The mech smiled and said, “My name is Beachcomber, I’m a geologist for the geothermal energy plant on Kalis.”

    Star Saber smiled, but his smile was hidden behind his helm. “My name is Star Saber. I am a priest of Primus. This is my traveling companion, Emirate Xaaron."

    “Pleasure to meet you,” said Xaaron.

    “I’ve seen you on television!” shouted Beachcomber excitedly, “You’re that lawyer from those commercials. I need your help, man. Someone has been dumping toxic waste into the Sea of Rust. Not only is it harming the environment, but it’s interfering with my research. It’s contaminating specimens and making it difficult to use my sonar. I figured out that the culprit is this company that has ties to Starscream. I want to sue them, man."

    Xaaron crossed his arm, "My services don’t come cheap."

    "Bruh…” Beachcomber put his hands over his head and gasped, “…I thought you were a lawyer."

    Xaaron’s eye twitched a bit. Trying to remain calm, he said, "Suing a company that has ties to the elected leader of Cybertron is expensive. He has a whole team of sleazy lawyers that all bribed their way through law school. Not to mention any judge they choose is also corrupted."

    "Is everyone corrupt?” Star Saber asked, raising an eyebrow.

    “As far as I know; me, Tyrest and a couple of others aren’t...at least not so much,” replied Xaaron. He frowned and said, “This type of bribe-driven culture helped lead us to war. It’s disheartening to know it still lingers. Its presence shows we learned nothing from our mistakes.”

    “So will you help me out?” asked Beachcomber.

    Xaaron sighed, “We will see.”

    Seeing Beachcomber’s disappointment, Star Saber asked, “Are you interested in joining our search for Vector Sigma? I have a strong feeling your skills as a geologist would prove to be invaluable. As payment, Emirate Xaaron will help you in your case.”

    “Hold the phones!” cried Xaaron, “I didn’t agree to any of this!”

    “Bruh…” smiled Beachcomber, “…I like the way you think. Consider this a done deal.” Beachcomber shook Star Saber’s hand.  “Besides, it’s boring out here. There’s nothing for me to do anymore. All the specimens are tainted and my colleague has run off somewhere. I haven't seen him in like 3 weeks and he’s never called me. It’s about time I run off too; he’s having fun somewhere, I know it. I could go home, but I’m not going to get paid if I do. Where are we headed?”

    “About 25 Kliks southwest of here,” Star Saber pointed towards the direction, “teleporting here took too much energy. We must walk the rest of the way.”

    “Why walk, when I can drive?” Beachcomber pointed to his old beat up ship that was parked nearby.

    All three of them could barely fit inside. The ship had a strange odor that Star Saber couldn’t identify, but he disliked it. He chose not to complain since he felt too exhausted to walk the 25 Kliks as he had suggested. Xaaron, on the other hand, was uncomfortable. But the ride was short because Beachcomber was driving fast and recklessly. The ship hit a boulder and tumbled down towards a crater. The ship landed upright, so they had safely arrived at their destination.

    Xaaron was the first to get out of the ship. Nauseated, he fell on his hands and knees, and began to cough. Nothing came out and he tried to catch his breath. Beachcomber and Star Saber got out. Star Saber helped Xaaron to his feet.

    “You know, I’ve always been against using a ship to get anywhere on the ground, but this wasn’t so bad,” smiled Star Saber. Xaaron looked at him in disbelief. It was the worst ride he had ever been on.

    He heard some popping sounds. Turning around, Star Saber managed to catch seeing Beachcomber’s ship fall apart. Beachcomber noticed too, he shook his head and picked up the pieces. After storing them in his subspace he said, “I’ve been around here before. It’s nothing but dirt and concrete.”

    Star Saber pulled out the Omega Key and walked towards the center of the crater. Random boulders encircled the center. As he approached, various runes written in Primal Vernacular started glowing on those boulders.

    “Nothing but dirt and concrete?” asked Xaaron.

    “I’ve never seen it do that before…” Beachcomber said in awe. He approached the nearest monolith and looked at the glowing runes. The runes’ glow seemed to pulsate rhythmically, almost like heartbeat.

    Xaaron sat down on the ground, because he felt his entire being tremble. Star Saber hadn’t even unlocked the opening yet and Xaaron was already emotionally overwhelmed. Star Saber was prostrated before a round marking on the ground, which resembled a keyhole. Confused about what was going on, Beachcomber sat next to Xaaron. He wrapped his arm around him and gently patted the emirate’s head. “I feel you,” whispered Beachcomber, “I have never seen concrete this beautiful. It makes me want to cry too. Just look at it, man...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added Beachcomber because a couple of my friends like him and wish to see more of him, whether it be in official media or fanfiction, such as this. :3


	9. The wayward sentinel.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They enter the temple complex of Vector Sigma.

    After a couple of minutes, Star Saber stood up, and waved his hand for Beachcomber and Xaaron to come closer. Beachcomber helped Xaaron stand up and they stood behind Star Saber. Star Saber then unlocked the entrance. The ground shook slightly, and a long, twisted stairway opened up. “You two, get in, the portal will close once I remove the Omega Key.”

    Beachcomber and Xaaron hurried down the stairway. Star Saber waited for them to get close to the bottom and removed the key teleporting himself ahead of them. A few seconds later, the entrance closed again. The entryway was dark and had an unpleasant unaired smell.

    “I can’t see anything!” said Xaaron as he clinged to Beachcomber.

    “Don’t worry, man,” said Beachcomber, “I can.”

    Beachcomber emitted a high-frequency chirp. Star Saber covered his ears. Xaaron desperately looked around confused, because he felt Star Saber’s brisk movement. The emirate was too old and outdated to detect the chirp.

    "The rest of this path is safe," said Beachcomber, "we can just keep walking until we get into that one room. I've not detected any traps, yet."

    "Yet?" asked Xaaron.

    “I picked up a couple up ahead,” said Beachcomber, "they seem like pit-traps, not sure. I have to get closer to find out for sure. I’m just going to assume they’re traps to err on the side of caution.”

    “Oh, that seems reasonable,” nodded Xaaron.

    They walked further into the darkness. A pile of debris combusted ahead them, providing them with a warm gentle glow, as they turned at a corner. Xaaron rushed toward the fire and sat beside it, basking in its warm glow. Beachcomber observed it from afar as Star Saber said to him, “Those are the Fires of Solus Prime. Tradition dictates that these sacred fires are to be located near the entrances and other strategic locations within temples. Their purpose is to heal and comfort pilgrims, since their heat energy has the ability to recharge and restore anything. Let’s go sit by it for a while.”

    Beachcomber and Star Saber sat next to Xaaron. Beachcomber sighed and said to them, “Whoa…I haven’t felt this good since I took that big hit yesterday.”

    “It’s not surprising, the surge of adrenaline helps revitalize anyone,” replied Star Saber, “I feel it too. I haven’t been in a good fight with anyone in years…well, I mean a physical altercation. Most of it has been practice bouts. There’s been no fight where we’ve been out for blood or that our honor is at stake. That coward, Dai Atlas, owes me a duel. When we finally duel we'll see who can take the most hits...”

    Beachcomber smiled nervously and said, “Yeah…fights, though I tend to be more of a lover of peace and tranquility. Like so far, everything’s been pretty chill. This sacred fire has been nice too. You said you were a priest, right? Is it cool to take a little bit of this fire with us? I have this lamp but I’m all out of matches.”

    “I need to think about this,” said Star Saber, “These reclusive temples tend to have droids that protect it. It’s been so long that anyone has been here; they might mistake us for looters. For now, we must remain as inconspicuous as possible and keep our hands to ourselves. We don't want to give them the wrong impression.”

    Xaaron looked at the fire and said, “That’s unfair. I can’t even see and I feel like I should be around this fire for much longer. All my ailments have diminished. Speaking of which, I’d love to bring some over to my friend for his chapel. I swear any exposure to this will bring him the comfort he needs.”

    "I didn't even think about taking a bit of the fire," said Star Saber, "you make an excellent point. I'm sure this will help him. We'll see once we leave. Speaking of which, are you able to text him to tell him how we're doing?"

    "I'm sure the long-distance text is going to cost me a fortune, but I did as soon as we arrived," said Xaaron. It had taken him a while to send the message because the signal was terrible. However the reception had improved and Tyrest had not replied. Xaaron checked the time zone and it was the middle of the night over there on Luna-1.

    “I see some light ahead,” said Star Saber, “Beachcomber can you check if it’s safe?”

    Beachcomber chirped towards the direction of the light. “There is interference. It sounds like a waterfall.” Beachcomber then explained that waterfalls and streams were common underground in Cybertron. This helped guide the cave explorers who could were unable to create maps like Beachcomber. Beachcomber showed Star Saber and Xaaron the map he was making on his tablet. He told them that his map was not precise, and they usually never are in the first attempt.

    After they looked at the map, they continued in the direction of the light. They didn’t go far, until they heard the sound of running water. When they approached the light, they saw an illuminated cavern with a deep precipice. A large stream cascaded down into the precipice. Not far from them, was a bridge that lied in ruins and was unusable. Only a rusted cable connected the ledge to the other side. The cable looked like it could barely hold the weight of a minibot.

    Xaaron and Beachcomber were worried, since none of them had brought any rock-climbing equipment. Before they were able to voice their concerns, Star Saber shouted, “Transform!” and transformed in front of them. His alt-mode was a plane. Both were relieved.

    “Beachcomber,” said Star Saber, “hop on and I’ll fly you across first and then I’ll take the emirate.”

    Beachcomber climbed on top of Star Saber who flew him to safety. He went to go get Xaaron who was terrified. Xaaron walked over to the ledge but fainted when he saw how deep it was. Star Saber transformed in mid-air and managed to catch Xaaron. Star Saber teleported next to Beachcomber as he held Xaaron in his arms.

    Frowning, Beachcomber asked, “What happened?”

    “The depth of the precipice frightened him,” said Star Saber, “…I think. I wouldn’t know since I’m a tall flyer and I never had a fear of heights. Don’t worry; I’ll carry him until he recovers. Please lead the way.”

    They entered the tunnel and into a metallic hallway. The floor was made out of intersecting adamantium bars. Underneath the bars, the rocky floor of the cavern was visible. The walls had large pipes running across it and a couple of vents up ahead were releasing puffs of steam. Beachcomber shook his head. All the machinery and the vents were making too much noise for him to use his echolocation. Star Saber put his hand on Beachcomber’s shoulder to reassure him that his efforts were appreciated. They continued walking down the hallway. They heard a sudden scurrying movement and stopped. Star Saber handed Xaaron over to Beachcomber and drew his sword.

    Beachcomber held Xaaron and before he could react, he heard the loud clanging sound of a spherical droid falling on the floor. Star Saber had cut it half as soon as it popped out from one of the vents. The commotion spooked Xaaron waking him up. Xaaron clutched his chest and looked around; his face had the look of regret. As much as he loved a thrilling adventure, he was too old and too anxious to deal with any of it.

    Star Saber knelt beside the droid and began to repair it. He was upset he had damaged it. Star Saber’s swift reaction was purely in self-defense. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve dodged the droid. He had made a clean cut that made the droid easy to repair. When he was finished, he placed the droid back into the vent. They resumed going down the hallway and at the end, there was a ramp leading to a small room with machinery.

    Star Saber saw three levers and pulled the first one, then the third one and finally the second one. A door opened at the end of the room. Impressed, Xaaron asked, “How did you know this was going to work?”

    “I didn’t,” shrugged Star Saber.

    They entered another room with a large pool. Beachcomber saw a thin pipe of the ground and picked it up. He placed dipped the end of the pipe in the water, to test whether it was actually water. It was water. He saw a deactivated droid floating in the water and tried to fish towards them with the pipe. Star Saber got it out and saw that its body was riddled with bullets. He tried to repair it, but it was too complicated to do so with the equipment he had with him.

    “You seem familiar with repairing these droids,” said Xaaron as he watched Star Saber as he laid the droid against the wall.

    “Back in New Crystal City we had similar droids working in our churches,” said Star Saber, “their purpose was to keep them clean and to protect them from bandits. But we were all devout believers in Primus that the latter was never a problem. Part of our priestly duties involved droid maintenance. This was for practical reasons and to teach us to care for lesser beings, just like Primus cares for us.”

    “I don’t recall seeing any droids in churches here on Cybertron,” said Xaaron, “must’ve been an antiquated practice. I don’t see anything wrong with it. They’re very practical.”

    “Beachcomber then started pulling out pieces of his ship from his subspace. “If it’s parts you need, you can use some of mine. My ship is junk anyway.” Beachcomber and Star Saber worked to repair the droid. The droid came online and rolled away. Then it bounced around and hit a spot on the wall which raised some stairs that lead up to a door. They walked up the stairs as the droid tried to follow them. Star Saber then went back and carried the droid with him.


	10. Implied formalities.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exploration into the temple complex continues; Beachcomber and Xaaron make a deal.

    When they entered the room, the droid beeped and other droids hidden along the walls beeped back. Star Saber explained that the droid had recognized them as pilgrims because of their merciful actions. It informed the others to not attack. Despite the fact Star Saber’s very being burned with the urge to fight, he knew he shouldn’t. As they walked across the room, the droid beeped and rolled out of Star Saber’s arms. It went to a corner and bounced on a brick.

    “Holy scrap, that little droid is so fraggin’ cute…!” shrieked Beachcomber. Star Saber glared at Beachcomber, who said softly, “Sorry. I’ll try not to swear. It’s so precious…I can’t…” Beachcomber walked over to it to pick it up. Beachcomber’s affection confused the droid.

    “Beachcomber, do you know if this area is safe or not?” asked Xaaron.

    “Wait up,” said Beachcomber as he put down the droid and chirped. He chirped once more and then replied, “It’s safe.”

    “Good, because I’m hungry,” said Xaaron as he pulled out several boxes of food from his subspace.

    “It seems like an appropriate time and place to rest,” said Star Saber as he pulled out his own food from his subspace.

    “Let’s see if I brought lunch today,” said Beachcomber as he looked through his subspace. A while later, he found his half-eaten spinach wrap. Beachcomber shrugged and finished it promptly.

    Star Saber and Xaaron didn’t mind sharing their food with Beachcomber and each other. Star Saber and Xaaron didn’t need to be told twice to bring food. However, Star Saber was disappointed he wasn’t able to bring along raw meat to grill it. It had been a while since he actually grilled anything himself, he loved barbecuing.

    “Tell me a bit about yourself Beachcomber,” said Xaaron, “I like to know a bit about the mechs I’m working with.”

    “Well, I studied geology because I’ve always had a fascination with rocks and minerals from a young age,” said Beachcomber, “my family thought that was weird. But eventually, I got my Associate’s and applied for a job at the plant in Kalis. It was just in time too, I was one of the last foreign applicants to be hired because then the war started.”

    “Where were you from?” asked Star Saber, “I could’ve sworn you were a local. You sound a bit like Xaaron’s friend who is from the area, though his accent is very light while yours is heavy.”

    “Wait a minute…” said Xaaron.

    Star Saber’s eyes opened wide. He had no intention to say that Tyrest was from Tyrest.

    “Dear Primus, you are right!” cried Xaaron in outrage, “All these years and I didn’t figure it out. I knew he wasn’t from Iacon. You see, my friend never talked about himself much.”

    “I know why, don’t worry about it,” replied Beachcomber, “I know how you foreigners can be. You tend to dismiss us locals as druggies or criminals, even though our crime rate has been lower here for the past 20 solar cycles, compared to other cities like Iacon and Polyhex. I’m going to assume your friend is a very important individual like the two of you. So there’s going to be a lot of mechs looking for excuses to drag him. I’m from Ibex and the culture there was cutthroat and competitive. I’m sure it’s like that in Iacon too. Over here, everyone is laid-back and we’re just trying to live peacefully. It has done wonders for my health. I love it.”

    “Yes, that’s true, unfortunately,” said Xaaron, “I’m still hurt he never trusted me enough to share those personal details. I would never insult him because of that. He is a good mech who has worked very hard to earn his position.”

    “I’m sure your friend loves the area and wishes he could talk of it freely without ridicule or rude commentary,” said Beachcomber as he helped himself to some yogurt that Star Saber had brought, “Kalis and Tyrest are good places because they’ve both benefitted greatly from the Tyrest Accord. The energy plant is situated on the border, right in the middle of Kalis and Tyrest. The Tyrest Accord further emphasized it belonged to both, granting the area its combat-free status. After all, the treaty was signed here, well actually in Tyrest but yeah.”

    “About that…” said Xaaron, “the energy plant is clearly inside Kalis…oh…”

    “Huh?” asked Beachcomber.

    “Never mind, you have a point,” said Xaaron, “it is equal on the border. Please continue.”

    “Yeah, and I’m not sure of the specifics, but I’m like sure the Tyrest Accord kind of helped fund both city-states,” said Beachcomber. He then explained to them how the Tyrest Accord seemed to have helped improve the quality of life of the locals.

    The treaty funded the energy plant, which created more jobs. However, due to the war it only hired citizens of Kalis and Tyrest. Beachcomber was one of the last foreign applicants to be accepted. The reason for the exclusion was because it would prompt others to use it as an excuse to escape the war. Because of the jobs, locals were able to afford necessities. This, in part, helped stabilize prices with a little help from the Tyrest Accord which punished price-gouging with very pricy fines. Tyrest had mentioned to Star Saber that the only reason there was so much crime was because it was done as a necessity to survive since everyone was mostly unemployed. He was right. With everyone having a livable wage, crime had dropped a staggering 300%. (In fact, Kalis and Tyrest are the safest city-states in this post-war period.)

    It didn’t take much for Xaaron to figure out what had happened. Tyrest used his accord to benefit his own people. In fact, Xaaron suspected this may’ve been the ulterior motive behind the accord. Why else would he have chosen his birth city-state as the place to have it signed? That way it would have importance as to include it alongside Kalis for this neutrality. Xaaron was impressed with the scheme but had no hard feelings towards it because its intention was pure.

    “Seriously, I can’t express how much I love it here, everything about this area is beautiful,” said Beachcomber, “and this is why that toxic waste dumping makes me so mad. Refineries exist where you can process that garbage into something less toxic or recycle it. C’mon, it’s not hard.”

    “What I don’t understand is your accusation,” said Xaaron, “How is Starscream or those associated with him, guilty? I dislike Starscream, just like any other sensible Autobot would.”

    Beachcomber smiled and pulled out his phone. He then looked through it and projected a video on the wall, as he increased the volume of the footage. The video was shot in the evening and two mechs could be seen walking alongside each other. From the looks of it, they appeared to be a pair of shady Decepticons. There was nothing remarkable about either of them, though the location was too remote for anyone to be wandering there. Beachcomber showed them another video of other mechs, pulling up to the sea with their hover ships and tossing out large barrels of industrial waste into the sea. Beachcomber stopped the video and pointed at the closest ship. It had Starscream’s insignia on the side.

    Xaaron pulled out his phone and wrote down the license plate number. As with most of his cases, Xaaron always took the time to research it himself so he’d be better able to defend his clients. Smiling, he said to Beachcomber, “So far, your case sounds reasonable. I’ll accept it, but only because I want to take Starscream down a peg. He cheated in the election, but then the Decepticon cause has always been to deceive the public into justifying their so-called revolution.”

    Xaaron and Beachcomber continued to discuss their case. The emirate took his time and explained some of the laws related to the case. Beachcomber was very confused and had no idea what the emirate was talking about but he tried to keep up. Xaaron sighed, since he couldn't simplify the matter further. (He wasn't even using jargon.)

    Neither Beachcomber nor Xaaron had noticed Star Saber moving away from them with the droid. He sat down on the other side of the room, because he was not interested in hearing their conversation. He continued to meditate as the others discussed their course of action. When Star Saber shot a glance at them, they shook hands because they came to an agreement. Star Saber then approached them and helped them clean up.

    The corridors and the rooms appeared endless. Often, it felt as if they were walking in circles. On several occasions, Beachcomber had to stop and show the others his map to prove that they were not walking in circles. Each room they passed through was different. It appeared to be an intentional design, perhaps to discourage thieves and to compare the journey to life. it was (As in being endless like a Cybertronian’s lifespan.)

    Finally, Xaaron sat on the ground and whined. The others looked at him, and Beachcomber asked, “What’s wrong?”

    Flabbergasted, Xaaron shouted, “I am tired and my legs hurt so much! I can’t continue anymore! How are you two still able to keep on going?! Dear Primus…”

    Star Saber picked up Xaaron and threw him over his shoulder.

    Beachcomber shrugged and said, “Well, my ship never worked and always kept falling apart. It’s always been less of a hassle to just walk to where I need to go or use public transportation. But way out here, there is no public transportation since it’s a nature preserve. I could also add to the fact that Ibexian culture was big on exercise. All my family did was off-road stunts and racing. If you want, I can massage your legs so the pain wouldn’t be as bad.”

    “No!” cried Xaaron.

    “He thinks that his plating will dent if others touched him,” replied Star Saber, “I don’t want to start any trouble. Besides, he barely weighs anything.”

    The droid began to beep. Beachcomber knelt down and tried to calm it down. He then perked up his head and chirped. Beachcomber said to the others, “There is a trap up ahead. It seems like a corridor full of spring-loaded guillotines. Like why are there even traps here, if it’s a place of worship?”

    “It is to protect holy sites from thieves and others who insist on defiling it,” said Star Saber, “Look ahead. There is a pedestal in front of an altar. A thief would ignore such a thing, whereas a devout pilgrim would kneel on the pedestal to pray. This action deactivates the trap.”

    “What if the thief were to kneel because he knew that’s how the trap would deactivate?” asked Xaaron.

    “Well, while he’s kneeling, which you have to kneel for a while, he’d have time to think about what he plans to do and how wrong it is,” said Star Saber. He approached the pedestal and knelt on it. Xaaron got off of Star Saber and they heard the sound of something move. However, Star Saber began to pray in silence.


	11. Just another medium.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beachcomber reflects on his actions, while Star Saber reminisces about someone from his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first of various Undertale references that made their way into this story during the initial planning stages, since it was more popular back then.
> 
> The title of this chapter gets its name from the 51st song in the Undertale OST - “[Another Medium](https://youtu.be/xLsuam9o9BA)”, which also musically describes the mood I tried to portray in this chapter.

    Beachcomber sat on the ground and Xaaron sat next to him.  Xaaron closed his eyes and prayed quietly too as Beachcomber leaned back until he lay on the floor. Beachcomber looked at the ceiling, which had bits of crystal mixed into it. The crystals reflected the small amount of light in the room making them appear like distant stars in the night.

    The stars reminded Beachcomber of a local religious custom which focused on stargazing and meditation. It was said that Primus communicated to his children through the stars. But the stargazing method was slow because it took time to decipher the cryptic messages. For this reason, the stargazers often had to meditate with the help of the local herb to understand. Even those who were not so religious held a great respect and reverence for the practice. In fact, the practice was all they remembered. Beachcomber had been curious about the custom but it proved to be incomprehensible. While lying on the ground he realized why; all he wanted was to smoke the weed. He never cared for the spiritual aspect behind it. The awareness of his intentions brought him to tears. He had grown to love the local culture so much; he defended it as if it were his own birthright. Beachcomber meant no disrespect.

    Xaaron heard Beachcomber weeping softly and handed him a tissue pack. Beachcomber opened it and wiped away his tears before blowing his nose. Star Saber stood up and signaled for them to keep moving.

    As they continued walking, they headed down a corridor. The corridor was lit with a blacklight. A strange, but ornate irregular pattern glowed all over Star Saber’s frame. Star Saber stopped and turned around to see his in complete surprise.

    “Oh my…” purred Xaaron, “Reverend, your markings are beautiful.”

    “Why thank you, emirate,” replied Star Saber, “it’s the result of a compromise. I believe that a warrior should wear their scars as a badge of honor; scars show the triumphs and failures. But, certain mechs find them unsightly and even offensive. In my former colony, the leader was such a mech. So I repaired my plating with a special type of enamel that reveals the scars under a blacklight. Before I left my colony, I turned on the blacklights and those at the meeting saw my appearance. The astonishment left them all speechless. Though the leader looked calm, I could sense his fury but his feelings matter little to me. He deserved it.”

    Star Saber removed his helm. He had scars on his face too. However, a prominent scar on his left cheek nearly knocked both his companions over in shock. Seeing Unicron’s emblem on Star Saber’s face horrified Xaaron. He broke his composure and cried, “Why do you have that offensive mark on your face?!”

    “I’ll tell you when we arrive at another resting spot,” replied Star Saber as he put his helm back on.

    They continued walking for a bit, until they encountered another sacred fire. They sat down in front of it to recharge. Xaaron checked his phone. He smiled with relief as he checked his messages. Tyrest had received the text and sent a star emoji as a reply. (He used stars or suns instead of smiley faces because they were cuter in his opinion.) Xaaron began to text Tyrest and sent him the photos he had taken of their trip.

    “About your question, emirate,” said Star Saber as Xaaron put away his phone, “this is the price I paid for refusing to renounce my faith. It is one of my oldest scars. It is also the main reason I don’t attack anyone branded with Unicron’s emblem. It could’ve been done against their will, like me…”

    He continued, “I acquired this scar during my young adulthood. I had gone to this remote village with my three other companions as missionaries to evangelize the locals. There was another who should’ve gone with us, but he had gotten sick. We decided it was better for him to stay behind. We stayed at the village for a week before returning home. On our way back, a band of bandits stopped us. Not having much, we handed over the small amount of money we carried, but they didn’t want that…”

    Star Saber paused. He tried to figure out how to rephrase his anecdote. He could tell it was too strong for Beachcomber.  Even thinking about it was painful for Star Saber. Taking a deep breath, he said, “…They wanted to make us renounce our faith because they were Unicron cultists. Faith in Primus is one of the most important things a mech could have. There was no way any of us would obey such a preposterous demand. As a result, they attacked us…the only reason they managed to overpower us was because their party was larger. As one, we were too weak.”

    Star Saber’s hands trembled as he tried his best to remain calm. Before Beachcomber could ask, Star Saber interrupted him, “I failed everyone! My skills were not very good back then but…I try to remind myself I was still young and not as adept. The other members weren’t warriors. No, I shouldn’t excuse my ineptitude. It was all my fault and that’s why…” Star Saber finally burst into tears, “…They…tortured us! On top of that, they…”

    Seeing Beachcomber become increasingly distressed, Star Saber added, “…They made a powerful enemy. Yes, I kept this offensive mark on me. It serves as a constant reminder that I should show no mercy to non-believers, just like they showed me no mercy. After I recovered from that assault, I pushed myself in my swordsman training. Now, I am a formidable warrior who thirsts for retribution.”

    “Yeah…I don’t support revenge but I totally understand where you’re coming from,” said Beachcomber, “That was awful though. I didn’t think others would persecute those who believe in Primus.”

    “Nonbelievers are like that,” said Star Saber, “at least the majority that I’ve encountered. They claim that believers shouldn’t shove our faith down their throats, but even mentioning that you are of faith counts as ‘shoving’. They’re generally unpleasant and bad company. I honestly can’t tell you what is weaker about them; their faith or their ego.”

    “What…?” asked Beachcomber, “I knew this one mech who was an atheist. He told me this when we discussed our beliefs. Then when I told him I believe in Primus, he said ‘Cool’ and then asked me to pass him the blunt.”

    “I see…he’s of the minority, though,” replied Star Saber, “What’s a blunt?”

    Beachcomber pulled out this thick, crudely-made cigarette out of his subspace. “Marijuana prepared like this.” He got the blunt and lit it up with the sacred fire.

    Xaaron covered his face, “Oh Primus!”

    Star Saber squinted and muttered to himself, “So that’s what that smell was…”

    “Want some?” asked Beachcomber as he offered Star Saber the blunt.

    “No thank you,” replied Star Saber, “I don’t smoke.”

    Beachcomber shrugged and continued to smoke. He then said to Xaaron, “What’s the problem? If this fire can cure us from the outside, then it can cure me from inside too.” He took a deep inhale, before exhaling slowly.

    Xaaron crawled over to Star Saber. Before he spoke, Star Saber said, “The beauty of the Fires of Solus Prime is that it nullifies the effects of the smoke. Like it won’t affect our breathing or cognition, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

    “Oh…” replied Xaaron, “Now that you mention it, I barely smell the smoke. I did have a question and I think right now it’s appropriate to bring it up since you’re reminiscing.”

    “What is it?” asked Star Saber.

    “You mentioned a while back when we were in Luna-1 that you lost a dear friend during a time when your faith was put to the test,” said Xaaron, “Was this friend one of the missionaries who was tortured alongside you?”

    “No…” replied Star Saber, “had he been with us, we wouldn’t have found ourselves in that position. He was a skilled warrior; Primus blessed him with incredible talent. He wasn’t a cleric, but we trained in sword-fighting together since our infancy. I did, however, lose him because of that incident.”

    “What was his name?” asked Beachcomber as he exhaled.

    "Deszaras,” replied Star Saber, “you should’ve seen him fight. His moves were precise like a choreographed dance. His agility and grace was hypnotic to watch. Keep in mind this was part of his strategy because he distracted his opponents with them.” Star Saber chuckled. “He was a good loyal friend too. Besides training together, we went out a lot. I enjoyed his company.”

    Xaaron pulled out his phone.

    “Please don’t tell me he got hurt!” cried Beachcomber.

    “But he did,” replied Star Saber, “I hurt him. After that assault, the others and I were found and taken to a hospital. Deszaras managed to track me down and was actually my first visitor. When he asked me what happened, I told him everything. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I had no idea how furious it made him. Deszaras looked so calm too… The next day he returned carrying a large sack. He told me it was a gift.”

    Beachcomber tilted his head to the side, confused about where the story was headed. (Just like the rest of us.)

    “He then pulled out a severed head out the bag,” said Star Saber coldly, “it belonged to one of the cultists. In fact, all the heads in the bag belonged to the cultists that attacked us. His passionate rage-fueled blood-lust caused him to commit such violent murders.” Beachcomber was appalled and Star Saber continued, “Foolish, I mistook his kind gesture as an insult. That moment I thought he did it to prove he was a better warrior than me. I misinterpreted his actions as an attack on my honor. Could you imagine my pain? Betrayed like that by someone I was close to; that I trusted…I told him I never wanted to see him again. I don’t know how he reacted; I was too hurt to even look at him. Deszaras left the room without saying a word.”

    “How were you less outraged by murder though?” asked Beachcomber.

    “Those non-believers deserved it for torturing us,” replied Star Saber, “good riddance. But then, you don’t understand what it’s like to be in love. I didn’t either back then. I’ve thought about our relationship and later came to realize that Deszaras was madly in love with me. But it was too late and he was long gone. Now that I think about it, perhaps that’s the reason I despise my former colony leader, Dai Atlas. Both of their names are similar. They’re both large, blue and have red eyes. Both are skilled warriors with a commanding presence and excellent leadership abilities. To me, it’s like life handed me an inferior replacement. Dai Atlas would never be like Deszaras, even if he tried. I can’t imagine myself being with someone other than Deszaras. This is why I’ve remained celibate. He was my sparkmate and I hurt him like this. I wish I could find him and apologize, but I know I’m unworthy of his forgiveness. I wish to see him one last time…but…”

    Xaaron walked over to Star Saber and showed him his phone, “Is this your mech?”

    Speechless, Star Saber looked at the photo on the screen. It was Deszaras, but he was older and more world-weary. Star Saber expected no less, he was no longer the innocent mech Deszaras knew either. Xaaron thought about telling him what he knew about Deszaras, or Deathsaurus, as he was more commonly known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the idea behind Cybertronian villages; they are part of the city-state. They're like their own small municipality that may self-govern, but in the end they report to the mayor of the main/large city-state. 
> 
> In reality, it's just lazy writing on my behalf. I don't feel like singling out some random city-state where certain events take place. But then it doesn't matter, since not everyone from a metropolitan area.


	12. Death and deception.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As his duty as an Autobot, Xaaron tells Star Saber the truth about the Decepticon movement and its values.

    Taking a deep breath, Xaaron said, “At the risk of…upsetting you further, Deathsaurus is a wanted criminal. He’s involved in a very complicated smuggling operation. Yet, he’s so good at covering up his tracks that he’s difficult to even accuse. The Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, Ultra Magnus, has been trying to arrest him for years. But he can’t detain that sneaky thief without any proof, especially since he’s a Decepticon.”

    “Thievery?” asked Star Saber in disbelief, “That is dishonorable. The Deszaras I knew would never do such a thing…”

    “Friends change,” replied Xaaron with a pained look, “They say this all started after a bank foreclosed on Deathsaurus’ house. He also lost his life-savings around the same time too. According to your anecdote, he has a vindictive personality, so I guess stealing became his way of getting revenge. And I don’t mean to be rude, but you just accused him of committing a mass murder. But then, I don’t expect any less from a Decepticon. They all have an insatiable blood-lust.”

    Xaaron and Beachcomber proceeded to tell Star Saber their biased views about the Decepticon faction. The Decepticons targeted the oppressed lower-class, telling them their movement was a revolutionary one. Star Saber barely remembered this, but he had not bothered to pay much attention to it. However, this revolution was nothing but lies.

    “Did you know I was fortunate to read the original draft of the Tyrest Accord?” asked Xaaron. Beachcomber and Star Saber shook their heads. Xaaron continued, “The original wanted all of Cybertron and the moons to be declared a combat-free zone. This would’ve stopped the war from becoming as violent as it did. Yet the Decepticon’s leader, Megatron, refused to agree to those terms. It was the part of the combat-free zones he disagreed with. He was alright with the weapons trade ban, because he views other races as inferior. But think about it; the very people he supposedly wanted to free were already suffering, war only increases the suffering they had by making it worse. All war is the same. The ones who suffer the most are the innocent civilians, particularly the poor. The ones Megatron was fighting for. The chief justice had to reduce the combat-free zones to Kalis, Tyrest and Luna-1, for Megatron to even reconsider the treaty. How selfish could you possibly be?”

    “That son of a glitch!” Beachcomber cried as got up and stormed off. Star Saber and Xaaron waited for him to return.

    Xaaron shook his head, “The chief justice will never admit it because he has sworn neutrality, but he harbors such a strong resentment towards Megatron. Especially, since he had to hand over Tyrest, _his_ city-state, to the Decepticons. That way one Autobot city-state would be combat-free as well as one Decepticon city-state, for the sake of fairness. I’m sure the only reason Tyrest is doing well is because the chief justice has had such strict control over it…”

    Beachcomber returned and sat next to them. His outrage had not diminished.

    “…But I don’t expect much from a movement whose motto is literally ‘Peace through Tyranny’,” said Xaaron, “They just wanted to replace the old regime themselves, not create something better.”

    “Sorry to interrupt, but Xaaron just made me hate them more,” Beachcomber shook his head. Taking a deep breath he said, “I didn’t like them because they were violent and the only things they offered was simple decency and only basic rights. The reformed Autobots offered decency and basic rights too. The difference is that the Autobots want everyone, even non-Cybertronian lifeforms, to live in peace. The Decepticons don’t care about other species. In fact, they tried to cyberform more planets than everyone else who was in charge before the war. And now I’ve come to find out their leader didn’t even care about our own kind? I don’t think all my weed I have on me right now would make me chill after this.”

    “Emirate Xaaron, you had mentioned to me when we first met that Decepticons made their badges out of their spark casing, why is that?” asked Star Saber, “I’m sorry. But I still can’t believe that Deathsaurus would do that to himself, or much less anyone else. It’s so wrong, defiling the place in which your spark is kept. Primus’ gift of life…”

    “They act like such a cult,” replied Xaaron, “I think the symbolism behind that is to show your devotion to the cause; that you are literally part of it. I’ve heard that some fanatics go as far as abandoning their faith in Primus, to have faith in Megatron’s vision of ‘Peace through Tyranny’ instead. On a similar note, some reject religion altogether because they associate it with the old regime and think of it as another mundane institution. They say nonsense like religion brainwashes the poor into accepting the status quo, yet they fail to realize how the Decepticon movement itself brainwashed them into believing such garbage. I wouldn’t be surprised if they dabbled in Unicron cultism either, since they’d sell their sparks just to win a senseless war.”

    “No…I refuse to believe Deathsaurus would associate with such disgusting mechs,” Star Saber muttered, his voice quivering.

    With a small grin, Xaaron said, “It’s true, though some Decepticons themselves aren’t too bad. Many are simply misguided fools. Who’s to say your dear friend isn’t like this? He lost everything and had nowhere else to turn. Don’t blame yourself for this. After all, you were the victim. He was the one who got his hands dirty and made everything worse by accident. You are a very pleasant mech. I understand why he’d tried to make you feel better. It’s not your fault he decided to do bad things.”

    Xaaron walked over and gave Star Saber a hug. Either way, Star Saber was going to eventually find out the truth. When he finished his hug, Beachcomber walked over and hugged Star Saber too. Star Saber smiled and moved away to pray in silence.

    Xaaron texted Tyrest, but he wasn’t sure if he should mention Star Saber’s relationship with Deathsaurus. Beachcomber finished his blunt and threw the remainder into the sacred fire. The way the fire flared up interrupted Star Saber’s prayer.

    Beachcomber checked his own phone, “Bruh…it’s 6:00 am. We’ve been up all night just going through this place! We need to sleep.”

    “The fires have been charging us that there is no need to sleep,” said Star Saber.

    “Yeah, but what about our sleep cycles?” asked Xaaron, “This might throw them off. Why don’t we just try to sleep for like three hours, to not worsen it?”

    “I’ll set the alarm,” said Beachcomber as he set the alarm for 10:00 am.

    All three curled up in front of the sacred fire and fell asleep within astroseconds. As they slept, they didn’t notice that the droid who had accompanied them suddenly began to patrol the area. It was ready to kill anyone who dared attack them. However, all was peaceful and the alarm woke everyone up. They gathered their things and continued on their way, with the droid following along.

    They approached a door that required the Omega Key to unlock it, but he needed to solve the door’s puzzle first. On the door, there were various hieroglyphs representing various symbols of their religion.  Star Saber needed to solve the puzzle before attempting to unlock the door. If the combination was incorrect, it would activate a trap in the room. He walked away from the door to search for clues inside the room. The purpose for these sort of traps was to separate pilgrims from thieves. Pilgrims would linger to meditate on the symbolism related to the puzzle. Thieves would rush through it making mistakes.

    As he did, Xaaron walked up to the door and took a photo of it. His first photo was blurry, so he walked closer to get a better shot. As he did, he stepped on a brick that triggered a wall to fold down. Behind the wall, there was a thick glass wall. The other side was filled with water. A light coming from a crack in the ceiling illuminated it to real various corpses floating inside of it. “Ah, so that’s where those looters met their end,” said Xaaron as he look photos of the corpses.

    Overhearing the emirate, Star Saber replied, “Actually, they met their end in another room and their bodies ended up in this reservoir because they have fallen through a corpse hatch. There’s been no one to fish them out, so it shouldn’t even be like this.”

    Beachcomber walked over to them, carrying the droid, and screamed. The sight of the corpses horrified him. Star Saber and Xaaron looked at him calmly. “Why are both of you so relaxed about this?!” asked Beachcomber trying to hold back his tears.

    “These looters have received their just desserts for disrespecting a sacred site,” replied Star Saber, “I’m only trying to figure out how to reach them. That way, I could at least give them a proper burial. They were never supposed to rust away in the reservoir like this. If this upsets you, why aren’t you averting your gaze?”

    “Yeah, if you don’t like it, don’t look,” remarked Xaaron as he looked through his phone’s photo gallery.

    Hurt from his companion’s cold reactions, Beachcomber ran to the other side of the room.

    Xaaron stopped and zoomed into a photo. A corpse had an engraving on his arm and Xaaron showed Star Saber the photo. He asked, “Doesn’t that tattoo look like those symbols on the door?”

    Star Saber looked through the glass and towards the particular corpse. Unlike, Beachcomber and Xaaron, he was a flyer and had excellent long-distance vision. Star Saber whistled at the droid. The droid then projected the symbols Star Saber had seen off the engraving onto the wall. Star Saber slid the panels on the door until they matched the symbols. He unlocked the door with the Omega Key and went over to comfort Beachcomber.

    “I’m sorry,” sobbed Beachcomber, "it’s just that seeing the bodies of those who had violent deaths bothers me. This is why I thank Primus every day for giving me my job at the plant which made me avoid the battlefield altogether. Otherwise, the horrors would’ve killed me or I would’ve descended into madness. Look at me, I’m still shaking about what I saw...”

    “I understand, not everyone is suited for battle,” replied Star Saber, “Since we figured out the puzzle quickly I will explain its meaning. It’s relevant to your situation. The three symbols in the answer were the hammer, the sword, and a primitive-looking datapad that resembled a shield. The central piece showed the Matrix when it was solved.  Each one represents the three basic types of Cybertronian; laborers, warriors and…the ones that must be literate as part of their occupation. I’m not sure if I’ve described them correctly. All three types are one. Just because your psyche is unable to handle seeing physical trauma shouldn’t mean, I, a skilled warrior, should think any less of you. In other words, you don't need to validate your feelings to me or to anyone. They are valid.”  

    “Thank…you,” smiled Beachcomber wiping away a tear, “if my colleague was here, he would yell at me to stop crying and tell me to deal with it.”

    “Your colleague is an aft,” muttered Xaaron under his breath.

    Xaaron checked his phone and noticed its battery was almost depleted. He checked his subspace for a spare and turned off his phone to trade batteries. As he fiddled with his phone, he picked up a sound coming from beyond the opened door. The droid rolled over to Xaaron and chirped, but there was no reply. Worried, the droid projected a message on the screen for them to read. Fortunately, both Star Saber and Xaaron were so old they understood primal vernacular.

    “The droid is saying that it is unable to communicate with the other sentry droids,” said Xaaron, “there is an ‘unexplained’ error. Although, I’m sure the error could be due to the damage it received. But then I know nothing about repairing droids or engineering.”

    “Couldn’t we just go back and take an unharmed droid?” asked Beachcomber.

    “The droids will become distressed if they’re moved too far from their station,” replied Star Saber, “this one wasn’t even supposed to follow us. But then, it was broken and it’s been helping us that I saw no reason to stop it. After all, it’s in their nature to ensure the safety of pilgrims. As for that sound, it means we’re heading into a prohibited place.”

    “I hope you don’t think it’s a silly question, but what is prohibited?” asked Beachcomber.

    “Vector Sigma itself,” said Star Saber.

    “Oh,” replied Beachcomber.

    Suddenly, an idea occurred to Beachcomber. He said to Star Saber, “You know about droids, right? What is a good frequency to chirp at in case one of them attacks us? Like sometimes chirps have a tendency to disorient droids, rendering them useless for a short time, then they recover.”

    “I wouldn’t know,” shrugged Star Saber, “each droid is different. What affects some, may not affect the others. Hopefully we won’t need to use it, since it may affect the droid who has joined us too.”

    They entered the room. Star Saber carefully walked down the stairway with Xaaron holding on to his neck. Beachcomber followed closely from behind, holding the droid. They sensed another droid approach and stood still. This droid was very different than the one that had accompanied them. It was long and willowy-looking. It almost resembled a brain module with thorny spine and had a single eye.

    The droid passed by them, pausing momentarily. They were dead silent; the only sound he made was the soft throbbing of their spark. The droid’s optic turned to Star Saber, scanning him with its laser. After a moment, it wandered off the other direction. Star Saber touched the wall, to get a feel of the location.

    “Vector Sigma is nearby, I can feel its energy,” whispered Star Saber, “I’m going to try teleporting there. Hold on tightly.” Beachcomber and Xaaron clung to Star Saber as he gathered his energy, teleporting into the next room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, if it wasn't obvious before, this entire Vector Sigma arc is loosely based on some of my Skyrim adventures into Dwemer ruins. Why do you think they encountered random puzzles and the temple was guarded by droids?
> 
> As for Deathsaurus, if you've ever or never watched Transformers: Victory, losing his home is literally Deathsaurus' beef with Star Saber. That Star Saber got it lost into the Dark Nebula. But since this is an AU, and I happen to ship DS/SS ~~as well as DS/Esmeral~~ Star Saber didn't mess with him like this. :P


	13. On sacred grounds.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pilgrims and the droid sentinel reach Vector Sigma.

    All four of them were face to face with Vector Sigma. It was a large crystalline polyhedron that sat atop a pedestal. It emanated a bright blue glow which enveloped Star Saber, filling him with a sense of uncertainty. Beachcomber and Xaaron were filled with awe. At that, the little droid hopped out of Beachcomber’s hands and rolled away.

    Four metallic tentacles popped from beneath the floor and wrapping around Star Saber’s legs, forcing him to prostrate in the presence of Vector Sigma. Xaaron fell off of Star Saber, but was caught by a single tentacle, as if it knew about Xaaron’s weaknesses. Beachcomber was restrained by two; one that wrapped around his arms and another for his legs.

    Star Saber looked down and saw the lock. He pulled out the Omega Key and placed it in the keyhole, turning it while still kneeling. The tentacles still held to his legs with a firm grip. When Star Saber activated the lock in front of Vector Sigma, it began to glow brighter. Star Saber averted his gaze, as did the others. Vector Sigma then concentrated its light into a single beam and shot it at Xaaron, who cried out in pain. The tentacle released him. Beachcomber screamed, since he thought it was a fatal hit.

    Both of them noticed that Xaaron’s entire frame was gold-plated. Before Star Saber could speak, Xaaron spoke, "Fear not Star Saber, the emirate is safe. He is my Avatar who will speak on my behalf. What is it that you seek to know?"

    "I would like to know what you'd like of me to do," said Star Saber, with his voice cracking, "I heeded your call to leave New Crystal City and find you here. What is next?" Overflowing with emotion, Star Saber found it difficult to keep himself composed. He never once thought Primus would speak to him directly. Usually, such appearances were reserved only for those who were weak of faith as a sign to strengthen their faith. Star Saber’s faith had always been strong.

    The Avatar said, “I can read the impulses emitted by one’s spark. I assure you I only speak to those who are willing to listen. It does not matter if their faith is strong or weak. You've come to me with sincerity, so I shall answer your questions. The dowager needs you more than he or any of you would understand. Teach him, guide him, and provide him with the comfort he has been deprived of. Continue to do all the things you've been doing, they please me.  Protect him from the visible and invisible forces that intend to bring him harm. He is much more vulnerable than you think."

    Star Saber contemplated on the Avatar's words. He looked at the Avatar in the eye and asked, "Is Tyrest doing something illegal that is of grave concern to Emirate Xaaron's superiors? If he is, what is it? I know this question has been bothering all of us and we have no way of finding out the answers to this question without hurting Tyrest, somehow."

    The Avatar of Primus nodded. "He is being manipulated into fulfilling a doomsday prophecy. Due to his vulnerable state, he is unaware of the seriousness of his actions and may misinterpret your attempts to stop him as a personal attack because he doesn’t trust you."

    "Why doesn't he trust me?" asked Star Saber.

    The Avatar of Primus smirked, "The one who manipulates him is threatened by your presence and plants doubt in his mind. The dowager, on the other hand, wants to trust you because he has judged you as honorable. That is why he rambles about himself to you. He errs on the side of caution and doesn't say everything. Remember, you must be patient with him."

    Star Saber was silent as he contemplated further. He then asked, “Which prophecy is he attempting to fulfill and how can I stop him?”

    The Avatar chuckle, “Star Saber, I don’t expect you to rescue him. That is a task for others to do. Your job is to prevent things from worsening. The prophecy in question is the Dark Stag prophecy, the one that sent Cybertronians into a frenzy when it was revealed. Unfortunately, it was misinterpreted and many innocent cervine mechs lost their lives as a result. The event became known as the Open Season Massacre, because they were hunted down and killed like quarry. The dowager was a victim and lost his family because of it. He was never meant to be the one who fulfills it, but events can be altered.”

    Star Saber clutched his fists tightly. “Forgive me, I cannot allow this to happen.”

    “You cannot stop the inevitable,” replied the Avatar coldly, “but at least, he will have the peace he has been deprived of for so long in his final moments…”

    “No!” screamed Star Saber.

    Beachcomber was listening to their conversation. The conversation confused him, but Star Saber’s righteous anger was concerning. He didn’t even know who they were talking about but he also didn’t want him to die.

    “Don’t you want him to be at peace?” asked the Avatar, “What he wants the most is what money cannot buy, a reunion with those he loves. No amount of bribery can ever grant him that. You need both a reasonable amount of wealth and loving support to be ‘happy’ in your world.”

    “Yes...but peace doesn’t need to come at the cost of death,” replied Star Saber, “Did you not say that events can be altered…?”

    The Avatar smiled, “Of course. I also want you to introspect on your answer, how peace does not need to come at the cost of death. While you do, I promise you that he will be saved by others. To answer your question, he is not doing anything illegal according to your laws. He is doing something of grave concern and your interventions help delay it, until his saviors arrive.”

    “Who are his saviors?” asked Star Saber.

    “You will see soon enough,” smiled the Avatar as he glared at Star Saber.

    Star Saber replied, “I have forgotten my offering, haven’t I? As law dictates, I will be castigated. Spare my companions, they were only following along. It is me, you want.”

    Other tentacles came out of the ground, wrapping themselves around his waist and pinning him to the ground. At this point, the tentacles released Beachcomber, who rushed to Star Saber’s aid. Star Saber pulled out his Saber Blade and handed it to Beachcomber. He did not need his weapon because he neither challenged nor was challenged.

    “Check on Xaaron,” whispered Star Saber to Beachcomber. Beachcomber left his side with the Saber Blade and stood next to the Avatar.

    “So...who is behind the pollution?” asked Beachcomber nervously, “and will we be able to stop them?”

    The Avatar replied, “You will know their identity soon enough.”

    As they spoke tentacle slithered between Star Saber’s legs. Sensing Star Saber’s fearlessness, it slithered up closer as his legs were parted. Star Saber awaited the tentacle’s next move as it moved closer to his valve. Star Saber began to chuckle and the tentacle stopped.

    “This place is just as the Ancients had left it, untouched by the changing times…” said Star Saber breathlessly, “…How could you have ever known the Quintessons would enslave my ancestors and breed them like livestock? Tentacles don’t bother most of us. In fact, some bots were specifically bred to be interfacing units. The bots in question tend to be very beautiful, easy to arouse, easy to apprehend because of that, and are awful at combat.” Star Saber chuckled as he gave a quick glance at the emirate. “However, as a proud warrior, I am not such a bot. Unfortunately for you, a mix of my lineage and my Brain of Courage makes me fearless. Your tentacles do not scare me.”

    The Avatar of Primus smiled.

    Star Saber signaled Beachcomber to leave and take Xaaron with him. Beachcomber grabbed Xaaron by the arm and they exited the room. As they moved further away from Vector Sigma, its influence left Xaaron, who then began to collapse. Beachcomber got a hold of him and tried to walk beside him as a crutch, while using the Saber Blade as a cane.

    Star Saber said to Vector Sigma, “I am ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you know anything about the Marvel UK comics, Emirate Xaaron becomes the Avatar of Primus there and turns gold. So like, them bringing him along had purpose. In fact, this makes him as useful as the other two. 
> 
> Any of the three could've been chosen, since they proved to be good mechs. However, Star Saber needed to hear Primus' message and the possession would've made it where he has no memory of it. Beachcomber wasn't worthy simply because he got high when he wasn't supposed to get high. That's why Xaaron was left, since he was clean.


	14. Into the core.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber must appease Vector Sigma for [conveniently] forgetting to bring an offering. For this reason, he is punished with an added challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has tentacle porn. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> For this reason, this chapter is also skippable since I know many who aren't into that sort of thing. If you must, feel free to imagine that Star Saber had to play a guitar-solo for Vector Sigma or face execution. 
> 
> The title of this chapter comes form the 65th song in the Undertale OST - “[Core](https://youtu.be/tDuEWw648jo)”.

    As soon as the others were gone, the tentacles gently spread the folds of Star Saber’s valve apart. Their touch was so soft, that Star Saber jumped up because the sensation caught him by surprise. This ritualistic interfacing was another optional sacrifice, since not all devout mechs would want to do such a thing. After all, it was a very intimate ritual. Star Saber had no objections; after all, it was the only way to become one with Vector Sigma without having to sacrifice one’s life. The ritual had intrigued him ever since first heard of it.

    A tentacle came down from the ceiling carrying an electric guitar and handed it to Star Saber. The guitar itself was a very old and rare model that Star Saber had only seen in ancient hieroglyphs depicting priests bringing offerings to Primus. For this reason, Star Saber felt the only appropriate church music should be rock. Though Star Saber thought metal, in general, was the most appropriate because Cybetronians are a warrior race and metal was the perfect music for training. (To him, going to church was basically spiritual training.)

    He had tried to convince the Circle of Light to play metal during their sermons, but many were divided on the issue and Dai Atlas was against it. Dai Atlas preferred more urban music, like hip hop and would often rap his sermons much to the amazement of everyone including Star Saber. (Though Star Saber would never admit that he was mesmerized with Dai Atlas’ lyricism, especially since Dai Atlas’ lyrics were purely spontaneous and very heartfelt.)  

    Though Star Saber was honored, he was confused by the gift. He wasn’t expecting to receive such a rare and holy instrument, which was conclusive proof that he was right when it came to appropriate music for worship. Star Saber asked, “What is this?”

    Another tentacle, a bristly one, came up to the guitar and began to strum it. Its bristles moved rapidly, slurring various notes to mimic speech. The voice it produced sounded similar to a talk box, “This is your modified challenge. You must play a 10-minute song. It must be perfect or be punished accordingly.” The tentacles continued to strum as they tuned the guitar, before finally handing it over to Star Saber.

    Meanwhile, Beachcomber and Xaaron were in the other room. Xaaron barely woke up when he heard the music the tentacle made with the guitar because there were speakers in the room. Xaaron’s eyes widened when he heard Vector Sigma’s challenge. The challenge itself both intrigued and terrified the emirate. Xaaron realized it wouldn’t be a challenge if it wasn’t difficult.

    Beachcomber covered his mouth, “I was not prepared for them to rock out. I was not prepared. Hold me.” He glomped Xaaron, eagerly waiting for the challenge to begin.

    “Hey now…” said Xaaron pushing Beachcomber away, “Careful now, I’m frail.”

    “Sorry,” whispered Beachcomber as he got himself comfortable and put the Saber Blade aside.

    Xaaron got his phone ready to record the song. He put his finger up to his mouth and showed Beachcomber who nodded. While the two of them prepared to record the impending music, Star Saber had to think. The demand for a 10-minute song was too sudden and he was not prepared. There was only one song that came to mind. However, it was only half the length but Star Saber planned on repeating it to fit the time requirement.

    The song was a very old song he had not played in years because he had written it for Deathsaurus as a gift and he only played it for him and no one else. He tried to think of other songs, but he could not. Besides, no other song felt appropriate. Star Saber realized that he had no choice but to play it. He had come to Vector Sigma for answers. Vector Sigma, being one of the vessels of Primus, was giving him an opportunity to make peace with his friend who he felt he would never meet again. After all, if they are one through Primus, then perhaps the song would reach Deathsaurus somehow. All he wanted was to make amends and have closure. A single tear ran down his left cheek and over his scar. As it touched the scar, it burned like acid but it could not compare to the pain Star Saber felt over losing Deathsaurus.

    While Star Saber was planning, a large tentacle in the shape of a hexagonal flower blossomed exposing several rows of sharp teeth that lined each petal. As it got close to Star Saber it began to salivate. Star Saber jumped up when he felt the tentacle’s cold clear oily secretion on his back.

    “Watch it!” snapped Star Saber as he moved around so the guitar wouldn’t get wet.

    The tentacles had trouble restraining him. However, that didn’t stop them from freely wrapping around his legs and penetrating deeper into his valve. The bristly tentacles, that had informed him of the challenge, made their way to his external node and brushed against it vigorously. Star Saber gasped. The sensation stimulated him so much his crotch went numb and squirted everywhere. Star Saber panicked, he wondered how he was going to be able to concentrate on his song due to all of the stimulation. Worrying about the challenge, he couldn’t enjoy the tentacles’ touch. It was as if they knew his weaknesses. He wasn’t one to complain, since he had been looking forward to it. Star Saber let out a quiet but pained moan.

    Star Saber heard the sound of doors opening. Due to his chaste nature, Star Saber tightened his valve in fear, pulling it further inside.  Instinctively, the tentacles began to thrust into him. However, it was nothing of his concern. A small group of droids entered the room with other instruments to accompany him. Seeing that it was time to begin, Star Saber took a deep breath and began to play. The other droids then slowly joined in.

    The driving melody of the song was fit for fighting the most difficult of foes. Nothing else could be more perfect to dedicate to a rival who pushed him to his limits. The song itself was so catchy Beachcomber wanted to dance to it. However, he knew he had to stay quiet and still so Xaaron would be able to have a good recording for it. Not being able to dance to it was practically torture for Beachcomber.

    Minutes felt like an eternity.  Aside from the sexual stimulation, playing the song again made him think of Deathsaurus. Star Saber remembered those tender moments he had once shared with is friend. They dueled with each other for hours. It was like a never-ending cycle; both of them trying to outdo each other and improving their skills as a result. The intensity of the training further fueling with the burning desire they had for each other. Star Saber would never meet anyone else who shared this same undying passion. The reminder of destroying the beautiful relationship he had with Deathsaurus hurt him in more ways than any physical damage he could endure. Rather than let the irreplaceable loss ruin his motivation, he tried to channel it. After all, he had faith that Deathsaurus would hear this song one last time. As a result, he played with an ardent determination.

    Though Xaaron wasn’t a particular fan of metal, which was what Star Saber was playing, he did like the song. His favorite part was when Star Saber started to play louder and faster. He didn’t understand much about music, but he could tell when someone was playing with a heartfelt passion. There was no doubt that this was one of those times. Of course, he was not surprised. What better tribute to offer Primus, than their very best?

    The tentacles thrust into Star Saber harder and faster as the time went on. It took all the discipline Star Saber had to keep from messing up. His fingers began to hurt, but he had been gripping the guitar tightly every time he felt an orgasm. Fortunately, Star Saber managed to finish the song in time and at that, he let go of the guitar. Another tentacle caught it and handed it to the droids, who left the room with the instruments. Realizing that the song was over, Xaaron stopped the recording.

    He turned to Beachcomber and they decided to enter the room to meet with Star Saber but the door was locked. Both of them feared the worst, especially Beachcomber. With an uneasy smile, Xaaron said to Beachcomber, “I’m sure he probably has to do some meditation and that’s why this is locked. Vector Sigma is a holy place, so I’m sure nothing bad is going on. How’d you like to listen to the recording I made?”

    “Sure,” chuckled Beachcomber nervously. Xaaron played the recording, which was clear and set his phone on a table. Beachcomber started to dance, grabbing Xaaron and dancing along with him. “I’ve never heard this song before, but I love it!” screamed Beachcomber as he danced with the emirate.

    Meanwhile, the tentacles were now free to have their way with Star Saber. His body was covered in that clear oil. A tentacle had removed Star Saber’s helm and another flower-like tentacle opened up and inserted it’s proboscis inside Star Saber’s mouth. The proboscis and his tongue rubbed against each other. He couldn’t help but blush; it had been a long time since he was kissed this deeply.

    A thought occurred to Star Saber. What if tried to dominate the tentacles? This was a challenge and the tentacles had a hold of him meaning it was not over. Star Saber rocked his hips and started grinding on the tentacles. He could feel the tentacles taken aback by his ferocity. A couple of them had fallen out of his valve. Other tentacles came out of the ground and opened his crotch-plating. Star Saber’s throbbing erect spike popped out. The tentacles wrapped around it and began tugging at it. Star Saber was overwhelmed from the double stimulation, but he tried his best not to cum just yet. It was a test of endurance and Star Saber wanted to win. It had been so long since he met an adversary worthy of competition. Though this wasn’t an ordinary adversary, it was Vector Sigma itself.

    Without warning, the large flower tentacle that had covered him in oil charged at Star Saber with its mouth wide open and hissed at him. He knew it was an attempt to scare him and force him to cum, but the tentacles underestimated his brain of courage. Star Saber didn’t even flinch. After all, he was in a vulnerable position and attacking him then would have been unjust. A few more tentacles fall out of his valve and collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion.

    The bristly tentacle slipped inside of Star Saber’s valve. But Star Saber purposely squeezed his valve that the bristly tentacle could not move well inside of him. The tentacle tried to wiggle out, but Star Saber’s grip on it was too tight because he found the wiggling too pleasurable. Star Saber released it when he felt it struggle with less vigor. It also fell on the ground. The tentacles that remained were the ones wrapped around his body and the large flower. The other tentacles released him and inserted themselves into his trembling valve.

    Unlike the other tentacles, these were much thicker and he worried all of them were too large. Since Star Saber’s valve was loose because of the stimulation, they fit inside him without a problem. Exhausted by the ordeal, Star Saber finally came one final time. At that, the tentacles slithered out of him and Star Saber sat on the floor as a mist descended from the ceiling, washing away the slimy secretion that covered his body. He was unsure whether or not he failed the challenge. All he knew was that he had come to Vector Sigma looking for answers and got them, along with an orgasm. He proceeded to pray in front of Vector Sigma to give thanks for having the privilege to interface with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may've omitted some explicit vanilla scenes, but there's no way I was going to remove the tentacle scene! Besides, it's funny to me that the character who first appeared in an anime had to be the one doing this hentai scene. XD


	15. Descent into danger.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beachcomber and Xaaron accidentally fall into a trap and encounter a mortal enemy.

As they waited for Star Saber in the other room, Beachcomber and Xaaron continued to dance. (There was nothing better to do and they were bored.) Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard and it shook the room. They lost their balance and accidentally stepped on a brick that caused the floor to incline. Both of them slid to the bottom and into the abyss. The floor then began to slowly align itself until it was leveled.

Beachcomber held the emirate as he pulled out a grappling hook and caught hold of a ledge. (He had forgotten he had brought his equipment, and this was simply a reflex.) They carefully climbed all the way back up and saw a tunnel. There was no way of climbing back up, unless Star Saber found them and flew them back to the top. The location did not appear to be part of the temple complex. The walls looked as if they were part of a natural underground cavern. Xaaron wanted to take a photograph and realized he had forgotten his phone. He was upset because his expensive phone had very important things stored inside of it.

Kneeling too close to the ledge, Beachcomber got his grappling hook and stored it back into his subspace. He noticed Xaaron’s soft whimpering and wanted to ask what was wrong. But he remembered that they left Xaaron’s phone and Star Saber’s sword behind, since the place they left them on didn’t tilt. Beachcomber put his hand on Xaaron’s shoulder and, “If it makes you feel better, your phone and Star Saber’s sword didn’t fall to the ground where they would’ve just disintegrated upon impact. They were on a safe spot.”

Xaaron wailed.

Beachcomber petted Xaaron and said, “Let me see if this tunnel is safe. Maybe there’s a way to get back to the top and get your phone.”

Beachcomber chirped, but he could not echolocate. The fact he was still shaken due to the fall had messed up his navigational systems. He looked at Xaaron and shrugged. There was nothing else he could do. The tunnel appeared safe.

“Let’s go in, shall we?” asked Xaaron as he led the way into the tunnel.

When they were further in the tunnel, both of them heard a quiet hissing. Beachcomber looked down and saw a small orb releasing a plume of smoke. Before they could react, the smoke knocked them out and shadowy figures dragged them further into the tunnels.

Star Saber had finished his prayer and he went to look for his companions. He heard a familiar chirp and saw that the droid had re-entered the room. Taking the droid under his arm, he opened the door to the room where Beachcomber and Xaaron had entered.

Star Saber saw Xaaron’s phone on the table. Right away, he knew something was wrong. The emirate would never be so careless with his phone. His Saber Blade was also on the ground next to the table. Star Saber noticed the floor had a slight incline. Storing the phone in his subspace and arming himself with his Saber Blade, Star Saber slid down the incline and teleported himself to the bottom of the pit. However, his companions were not there. Worried, he asked the droid to project a map of the area. The map only showed a drop to the bottom chamber with a couple of staircases that led to it. Star Saber and the droid began to frantically search for them.

Meanwhile, Beachcomber and Xaaron woke up in a strange room that was poorly lit. It looked like a tunnel with the ceiling held up by posts. Both of them were chained to the dirt floor by the ankle. Beachcomber tried to chirp once more, but his echolocation was still not functional. This only helped to worsen his stress. He heard a quiet chuckling and figure emerged from the shadows. He was a fiery red tankformer with a smug perverse grin. Beachcomber gasped as Xaaron snarled.

“Flame!” shouted Beachcomber in confusion, “What is going on, man?!”

Xaaron turned to face Beachcomber as if to ask, “How do you know this mech?”

Before, Xaaron was able to speak Flame chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day that I’d see both of my colleagues, whom I met under very different circumstances, together. While you were out getting stoned, I was busy making an archeological breakthrough. I have located the legendary Vector Sigma and you two meddlers will not take away my glorious feat!”

“Flame…,” growled Xaaron, “Archeology or however you try to justify your horrendous actions, isn’t even in your job description! Both you and Beachcomber are geologists for the energy plant. Your job is to make sure the terrain around the geothermal reactors is stable and to tap into other hot-springs, if necessary. And most importantly, how dare you?! A proper entrance exists above ground and you’re breaking into this holy site like a criminal.” Xaaron’s voice quivered.

“Yeah,” nodded Beachcomber, “that’s how we got in. We went through the proper entrance.”

Xaaron widened his eyes and tried to cover Beachcomber’s mouth. But it was too late. Flame became livid. He grabbed a random barrel that was next to him and threw it at them. However, he was so angry that he missed them completely, which angered him further. He stormed off, muttering obscenities.

Beachcomber leaned over next to Xaaron and whispered, “Don’t worry, he’s always like this. If he smoked weed like me, he’d be chill.”

“Beachcomber…” said Xaaron, “I have known this mech since before you were born. We’ve known each other since infancy and he always had this obnoxious entitled attitude. The fact we were both from the upper-class made it worse. His family spoiled him needlessly and he was always used to getting his way. There is a reason behind his hateful glares at me. I rejected his advances many times. He resents me because of this.”

In fact, Flame was the one of the reasons Xaaron didn’t want to pursue higher education. As a tankformer, Xaaron had to go to the military academy and become a general, due to his socioeconomic status. His family was aware of Flame and understood Xaaron’s hesitancy to be around him. Because of their status, Xaaron had gotten an exemption to go to law school without a problem. As for Flame, he managed to get his exemption too but went to the science academy instead thinking Xaaron would be there.  (Xaaron had always had a fascination with science and engineering.) Eventually, Flame settled for geology, since jewels and delicious minerals had always interested him. 

Flame and Xaaron had met a few times after graduation, but they were mostly brief encounters and unable to say a word to each other. The most notable of these instances was the Aequitas Trials, where Flame was involved with weapons trading, among other things. However, he was acquitted since there was no evidence proving that he had done any wrong. Xaaron wondered if there had been bribing involved, since Flame had a tendency to do such a thing. After all, he had known him since childhood and would expect no less from him.

“I can’t blame him,” said Beachcomber as he looked at the emirate, “but I also can’t blame you either. Even I don’t like working with him. He’s mean for no reason and likes doing dangerous experiments. Nobody in their right mind would put up with that. I don’t even know why he’s angry most of the time…”

“I thought it was obvious,” replied Xaaron, “You live in such a humble community that can’t compare to the once-affluent neighborhoods of Iacon. He can’t get what he wants here. Knowing him, he misses the luxuries.” Xaaron lowered his voice, “Here he comes, act natural…”

Flame emerged from the shadows once more as Beachcomber pulled out a joint and lit it with his last match. Xaaron facepalmed while shaking his head, this was not what he meant by “act natural”.

“What?” asked Beachcomber in a nonchalant manner as he inhaled from his joint, “Weed is natural; didn’t you know that?” Beachcomber looked at Flame who was annoyed with him and said, “Contaminated samples and the fact you were gone for so long, I had nothing better to do than to roll. As an Autobot, you should understand this, man.”

Flame grabbed Xaaron by the waist and kicked the chain, freeing him. Shaking his head in a disappointed manner Flame said, “Beachcomber, you’re hopeless. You’re the most useless individual I have ever met, but I’ll deal with you later. First, Xaaron needs to get reacquainted with an old friend.” He pulled out a pistol and pressed it against Xaaron’s cheek.

“Are you threatening me or coming on to me?” asked Xaaron who turned his head slightly and licked the barrel of the pistol. His cool demeanor masked the terror he felt.

Confused by the question because he felt an immense hatred towards the emirate yet his sensual behavior only increased his raging lust he felt for him, Flame yelled, “Shut up you wily old buzzard!”

Xaaron’s eyes widened and he cried, “Don’t you dare call me that, you hear me!”

“I’ll call you whatever I please,” growled Flame as he took Xaaron into the shadows with him.

As soon as they were gone, Beachcomber pulled out his phone and tried to text Xaaron’s phone his coordinates. His brief smoke break helped stabilize his navigational systems since it calmed him down. He had remembered that Xaaron left behind his phone and had a gut feeling that Star Saber had it. Earlier, Xaaron and Beachcomber had exchanged phone numbers when discussing the possible lawsuit.

Star Saber was walking up one of the staircases when felt the phone vibrate and checked it. The text message displayed behind the lock-screen and was readable. However, Star Saber had no way of answering it. He told the droid the coordinates because he didn’t understand them by reading them. The droid projected a map against the wall. Seeing that they were directly above the site in question, Star Saber took the droid and teleported next to Beachcomber.

Beachcomber had extended his finger-drills and used them to break the free from the chains. He was fortunate that the chain was brittle. Otherwise, he would’ve injured himself. He saw Star Saber and let out a sigh of relief. After freeing himself, he licked his forefinger and thumb, with the drills still extended, and put out his joint with them.

“You have finger drills?” asked Star Saber.

“Yeah…” smiled Beachcomber, “All the locals have them. I guess it’s to mine the delicious minerals, so I figured I’d upgrade myself too. They’ve been convenient for my job, though.” Before Star Saber could ask, Beachcomber said, “Star Saber, I don’t know what’s going on. But we ran into my colleague. His name is Flame and he took Xaaron with him.” Beachcomber pointed at the shadows, and said, “They went that way.”

Star Saber handed Beachcomber Xaaron’s phone and the droid. Rather than heading into the shadows, he thought about his next move. Acting in a rash manner, could endanger the emirate. After all, he had sworn to protect him.

Xaaron’s phone had another notification. Beachcomber checked the message. Oblivious to the fact that the chief justice’s name was Tyrest, Beachcomber thought it was an important message from the city-state dealing with municipal matters. However, the message read, “I just woke up, what did I miss?” followed by a sun emoji. Not knowing the context, the message confused Beachcomber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mistake was turning Flame, a corrupted scientist who is the embodiment of the 1960s Spiderman meme, into someone sinister and threatening.


	16. Burned at the high stakes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flame must be stopped...and also investigated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Burned at the stakes" + "high stakes". 
> 
> Also, please listen to the "[Magmoor Caverns](https://youtu.be/QQCZIb0fbt8)" theme from Metroid Prime, since it fits the mood of this chapter.
> 
> There is also inappropriate fondling in the chapter.

Meanwhile, Flame entered another room with Xaaron and they overlooked a large excavation site with dozens of workers. But something was very wrong. The workers moved sluggishly. Before he had a chance to ask, he noticed all of them looked rusted.

Xaaron looked at Flame and sighed. He asked, “Flame, I know you are an intelligent mech capable of creating brilliant plans. Why are you doing this?”

“Look at this squalor!” cried Flame, “Overrun by illiterate, simple-minded drug-addicts! A mech of my stature does not deserve to live in such an awful place! How can you, of all people, not see this? But with this archaeological breakthrough, I’ll attain a fortune which is rightfully mine. I had to do so many awful things to get this far. You or that bumbling fool, whom I cannot consider an equal, shall not undo my hard work…”

“…Flame,” said Xaaron softly, “You ungrateful pile of scrap! You literally escaped the war and are living in one of the safest areas on Cybertron. How do you not see that as a privilege?! Everyone is focused on rebuilding to think about purchasing antiquities. Besides, you’ve been here since before the war. So why didn’t you leave as soon as possible? It’s your own fault you stayed…”

“…Do not interrupt me!” snarled Flame, “or else, I’ll order my thralls to rip you to pieces. Do not think I am afraid of using my skill! I didn’t engrave my vocalizer with a necromantic sigil just because I wanted a unique tattoo! Besides, no one is able to see it.”

“You…you are worse than I ever imagined you to be,” whimpered Xaaron, with tears running down his face “As awful as you are, I thought you had decency! And would never dabble in such evil things…”

“Primus abandoned me the moment I was sent to this dump,” said Flame, “so I had to look elsewhere for help. I looked to the first arch-herald of Unicron for guidance. The one called ‘First’ or ‘Person’ or simply ‘The First Person’…”

“You turned to demon worship?!” shrieked Xaaron.

“Is the First Person really asking to be worshiped?” asked Flame with a chuckle. He scoffed, “Of course not. His way is about decadence in its purest form; self-indulgence at its finest. You don’t need to believe in his existence or worship him to live life according to his philosophy. I only want what he has and that is wealth. Emirate, you’re so spoiled you’ve never seen luxury as a luxury.”

“Flame, you’re talking about a demon that brainwashes fools,” said Xaaron, “his motto is even ‘I am in Control’…but then you tend to be a fool yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s possessed you and made you do all this nonsense. Desecrating a holy place of worship, looks like something demons would do…”

“Hey!” cried Flame, “Nobody tells me what to do, real or not! The only one here that calls the shots is me.” He pressed the gun closer to Xaaron’s cheek.

Xaaron let out a hushed frightened whimper. Due to Flame’s unpredictable and volatile nature, he was unsure if Flame’s threats were real or empty. Feeling sickened about everything Flame had revealed, Xaaron gathered his courage and said, “You are disgusting.” He could not think of a more appropriate term for Flame. ‘Disgusting’ was too insufficient.

Flame chuckled. He asked, this time in a calmer and gentler manner, “How am I supposed to know if these reanimated corpses still function if I can’t test them out by riding them, in the name of science? It’s been so long they’ve interfaced anyway…”

“Oh dear Primus, that’s not what I meant!” cried Xaaron as he tried to squirm away, “You just keep getting worse and worse…”

Flame realized that Xaaron was outraged by his use of the undead as slave labor, not his necrophilia. “Son of a glitch!” he shouted as he put away his pistol to get a hold of Xaaron. His insult was directed at himself since he made himself look bad in front of the emirate. (However, Flame couldn't deny he enjoyed his test rides.)

Xaaron was a harmless tankformer incapable of fighting back due to his peculiar nature. Otherwise, there would’ve been a nasty brawl. For this reason, Flame had put away his weapon since there was no need to use it. Flame slipped his fingers between Xaaron’s legs and began to rub on the valve panel. This action disabled the emirate’s fleeing and fighting instincts, but it didn’t stop him from making the loudest distressed screams he could.

“Scream all you want, no one will hear you,” said Flame as he rubbed Xaaron’s panel vigorously, “your broken staircase valve is mine…” The valve panel retracted because of the stimulation, but the sudden movement surprised Flame.

Before he had a chance to figure out what had happened, Star Saber, Beachcomber and the droid entered the room.

“Son of a glitch!” snapped Flame. This time, his insult was directed at the others. He withdrew his hand, hoping the others didn’t notice, and pulled out his pistol once more.

Star Saber had no clue what was going on or why Flame was fondling Xaaron. All he knew was that he was having difficulty maintaining his calm demeanor because Flame’s actions triggered him and fueled his ire. He couldn’t outright attack him like he wanted to because there was a chance he’d injure Xaaron too. Star Saber yelled, “Let him go this instant!”

Flame smirked at him and said, “Come and get me, big boy…”

There was a rumble and behind Star Saber and two reanimated corpses popped out of the ground. The corpses had an eerie violet aura around them. It was clear that a malevolent force was at work. Star Saber and the droid moved quickly to slice them to bits. As they did, the other corpses that were working stopped and began to climb out of the excavation site. Flame rushed down a flight of stairs to escape, but was stopped by Star Saber.

“How the frag did you get down here so fast?!” asked Flame indignantly.

“Teleportation capabilities,” replied Xaaron, who struggled to speak calmly since his entire frame was still sexually stimulated.

“Shut up, no one asked you!” interjected Flame, who began to panic because he was not prepared to battle against a teleporting enemy. (But then, who is?) Upon seeing Star Saber up close, he realized Star Saber was a priest.

“Hmph!” taunted Flame, “What are you going to do? Preach at me? Are you going to try to exorcise me by praying to your god and sprinkling me with holy water?”

Xaaron resented Flame’s foolishness. Did he not see Star Saber fighting the corpses just a couple of minutes ago? Did he just assume Star Saber was no longer a threat because he was a priest? The emirate tried not to entertain these thoughts further or else he'd be driven mad.

“Yes, I will preach,” said Star Saber, “whether or not you choose to listen is up to you. I am a priest but I am also a warrior.” Star Saber held out his hand, with his fingers outstretched. “There are five important qualities that make up a good warrior.” Star Saber then curled each finger as he listed the five qualities which consist of; courage, strength, intelligence, skill, and determination.

Without warning, he punched Flame with his now-closed fist and sent Flame flying across the room. Flame let go of Xaaron, who had collapsed on the ground and with his hand on his chest. For a second, Xaaron thought Star Saber was going to decapitate him with a single punch. Beachcomber slid down with the droid in hand, to meet up with them.

“We were fighting those corpses and…and…they suddenly dropped dead,” said Beachcomber, “Well, they’re already dead, but you know what I mean.”

Star Saber helped Xaaron stand up and said, “Don’t worry, I will pray for him later. We need to figure out what is going on. What is Flame doing all the way down here? Why were those terrorcons attacking us? Things like that.” Star Saber went over to Flame and worked to disable his t-cog. Just from looking at him, Star Saber could tell he was a tank with flamethrower capabilities. His alt-mode was very dangerous, so this procedure was necessary to safely detain him.

Xaaron put his hand on Star Saber’s shoulder before he could begin to work and pulled out a small pistol. Xaaron said, “This was an experimental weapon I got when I was working at the Kimia Space Station, when the Ethics Committee used to be headquartered there. It’s called a ‘nudge gun’ and it’s used to sway thinking, nudging them in the right direction, so to speak.” Xaaron set the gun and said, “As far as he knows, he’s been trapped in this pit for weeks because he fell into it and we just happened to find him thanks to Beachcomber’s help. As far as he knows, there is no conclusive evidence of Vector Sigma existing here. Not to mention, all this time in this pit made him reevaluate his elitist views. Even the poorest neighborhoods have more necessities than this empty pit.”

Xaaron put the nudge gun next to Flame’s head and shot him. He looked at his companions and said, “He was searching for Vector Sigma like us, but he chose to enter it like a thief. That’s why I believe wiping his memory clear of this incident will prevent him from doing it again.” Xaaron stored his nudge gun back in his subspace.

“You make a good point,” said Beachcomber, who disapproved of the nudge gun but saw its use was the only thing that would prevent further harm. Beachcomber handed him back his phone. Xaaron saw Tyrest’s message and answered it promptly. However, he neglected to mention the incident with Flame or falling into the abyss because he didn’t want Tyrest to worry about them. Xaaron saw Tyrest’s message and answered it promptly.

Star Saber looked around and sighed. He teleported to the top of the excavation site and brought back several of the corpses. He carefully arranged them on the ground. Seeing that Star Saber wanted to give the corpses a proper burial, the others decided to help. However, Star Saber declined their offer and told them to take Flame back upstairs and investigate the incident further. He went back for the rest of the corpses until he laid all of them on the ground. He worked to piece together the corpses that had gotten damaged during the fight.

Meanwhile, Beachcomber and Xaaron found Flame’s makeshift office. There was a trunk filled with several scholarly texts. Xaaron took the trunk and stored it in Flame’s subspace. Beachcomber found another book on top of a box and showed it to Xaaron. Xaaron’s eyes widened as he threw the fragile book across the room.

“No…!” he cried, “This…This can’t be…”

“What happened?” asked Beachcomber who went to go pick up the book. But Xaaron stopped him and kicked the book away.

“While Flame was holding me hostage, he was saying he was venerating one of the arch-heralds of Unicron that goes by the name of ‘First Person’,” said Xaaron, “I wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him. But then, he mentioned experimenting in necromancy and we saw those corpses moving. I see this book with this demon’s emblem on it…”

“How do you know about this?” asked Beachcomber, since this seemed like something a priest would know. 

“I’m a lawyer and I tend to research my cases beforehand so I can know how to defend my clients,” replied Xaaron, “I’ve had to learn about this demon because I had a pair of clients who were mnemosurgeons accused of Unicron cultism. The mnemosurgeon motto is ‘Cleanse and Control’, which sounds too similar to First Person’s motto ‘I am in Control’. The fact that the field of mnemosurgery has had historical ties to this demon made this case difficult to disprove. Fortunately, they were not Unicron cultists and were not guilty of that charge. The other crimes they committed were their fault but tried my best.”

Beachcomber looked through Flame’s subspace and pulled out the pistol that was used to threaten Xaaron. He aimed the pistol at the book and fired at it. The book exploded upon impact. Beachcomber put back the gun as Xaaron received a phone call. It was from Star Saber, so Xaaron set it to speakerphone.

“I finished arranging the bodies of these poor bandits,” said Star Saber, “I will use one of my most powerful attacks to make this tunnel collapse. If this works out, the dead will be buried and no one will be able to re-enter the tunnel. From the maps Beachcomber made, the tunnel’s collapse will not affect the stability of the temple. Please let me know when you have left, so I can do some demolition.” Star Saber hung up. He proceeded to complete the final funerary prayer, while he gave the others a chance to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the Marvel UK comics, where Emirate Xaaron and Flame were originally from, they had a showdown in Kalis. And Flame was also a necromancer with a zombie army. Except in the comics he was trying to turn Cybertron into a weaponized planet. While in this AU, all he wants to do is live a lavish life and have others praise him for being so smart and wonderful.
> 
> My regret with him was stifling his potential. But then I can always write another story about him at a later date.


	17. Keeping your cool.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They leave the temple complex and try to resolve Beachcomber's legal problems the old-fashioned way.

Beachcomber and Xaaron hurried to pack things. They found several antique lanterns that were perfect to carry the sacred fire in. But they did not belong to Flame. There was nothing else there in terms of valuable items. Everything else was useless junk. When they finished, they picked up Flame and hurried out of the tunnel along with the droid. Arriving at the ledge, where they had entered, Xaaron texted Star Saber to inform him they were ready.

Upon receiving their message, Star Saber channeled the majority of his energy to his sword and stabbed the ground. The force of the attack caused the walls of the tunnel and excavation site to crumble. At that, Star Saber teleported out of the site and appeared next to the others.

“Transform!” shouted Star Saber, as he switched to his alt-mode. The others grabbed a hold of him as he flew off the ledge and towards the bottom of the abyss.

The tunnel collapsed, closing it. Star Saber felt at peace for giving the corpses a proper burial, though he was still confused as to why they were reanimated and attacked his companions. No one was going to disturb them now and that was all that mattered. He landed safely at the bottom.

“What do we do now?” asked Xaaron as he jumped off of Star Saber, along with the droid.

“We have to go up this staircase,” said Star Saber as he led them to the staircase. “Unfortunately, the ceiling has closed up and I cannot fly you all back to the top. But look on the bright side; we can go back to see Vector Sigma and take photos. I think it’s appropriate. We can also go back and get some of that sacred fire to bring to your friend.”

However, they didn’t need to climb up the staircase. Star Saber still had energy to teleport to the top with them. He figured the risk was worth it because he was in a rush. Arriving in that waiting room with the trap flooring, he transformed once more and flew over the floor. They entered Vector Sigma’s presence again, but kept their distance. At this time, Xaaron, Beachcomber, and Star Saber took out their phones and took several pictures. All of their photos came out very clear. They heard a sudden rumble sound and proceeded to exit the room. They felt it was a warning of sorts.

Outside, Star Saber asked Beachcomber, “Can I see your map? I want to see if I can teleport to closer to the exit.” Beachcomber showed him the map. “Hmm…I think I can teleport to that fire and recover there.”

“Wait a minute, what about Flame?” asked Xaaron, “I’m fairly certain that fire might undo some of the nudge gun’s effects. But then, I’m sure he needs to be exposed to it too…”

They agreed and teleported to the fire near the entrance. Star Saber collapsed as the others tried to get themselves situated. After a minute or so, Star Saber sat up and enjoyed the warmth. Beachcomber and Xaaron looked at Flame, who was still unconscious. For once, he didn’t appear angry. In fact, he was probably more relaxed than he had been all these years because he was resting well.

“Beachcomber…” whispered Xaaron as Beachcomber leaned over to him, “…Something tells me that Flame was involved in the illegal dumping. Based on what I’ve seen, a lawsuit would do more harm than good. What do you think?”

“I guess,” shrugged Beachcomber. The contamination evoked feelings of retaliation inside of him, but at the same time he knew it wouldn’t repair the damage it had already caused.

Adding the occult practices into the mix made the case more complicated. Xaaron on the other hand, didn’t want to sue Flame or explain what happened. Flame was dabbling in a perverse type of necromancy that was punishable by death.  As much as he had grown to resent Flame, Xaaron did not wish for his execution.  If anything, he wished to get him the therapy his family was too ashamed to admit he needed.

Xaaron picked out an antique lamp that still had a bit of oil inside of it. However, he had nothing light it with the sacred fire. Beachcomber found a piece of paper and rolled it into a stick. He touched the tip to the fire and ignited the lamp with it. He wanted to light up the other lamps, but that would make it difficult to travel.

The droid chirped and began to roll away. The others waved at it but Beachcomber ran after it and gave it one last hug before letting it go. Beachcomber was a bit sad since he had grown attached to the little droid, but he remembered what Star Saber said about moving them against their will. After all, the little droid may’ve been curious to explore the temple too.

When they were ready, Star Saber teleported them back to the surface. This time, the brisk movement woke up Flame. Xaaron had the nudge gun on hand and shot him again. Flame shook his head and asked, “What happened?”

“You fell down a fissure and I got help to rescue you,” Beachcomber smiled. Flame looked at Star Saber, who terrified him. He then turned to Xaaron and stared at his crotch-plating, until Xaaron noticed and moved out of the way. Before he could ask, Beachcomber said, “I just called up this attorney I saw on TV because I plan on investigating the pollution.”

Flame chuckled nervously, “About that…you see, I owe them money. Since I fell down that fissure, I wasn’t able to pay them back on time. They had threatened to throw sludge into the sea if I didn’t pay.” In reality, Flame had become too preoccupied with his excavation that he forgot about it. The threat he mentioned was said to him. Because his memory had been altered, he spoke sincerely and the rest of what he said was true. “I’m not sure if they’re coming back, but if they did they’d kick my aft. Those slaggers don’t frag around.”

“Who are they?” asked Star Saber.

“Some rogue Decepticon traders,” said Flame, “I don’t know where they’re from, but definitely not from around here. As much as I hate them, they’re the reason I’ve been able to live comfortably.”

They headed back to the base-camp where Flame and Beachcomber lived. Due to the nature of their work, both of them practically lived in the wild, unsupervised. Flame was actually the supervisor because he had seniority in the plant. Beachcomber was simply his assistant even though he was more knowledgeable about their occupation than Flame. Their camp consisted of a fenced lot with three small buildings. Two of the buildings were residential and easy to tell apart. Beachcomber’s house had a large garden which almost engulfed the house, and Flame’s house was painted with bright reddish colors. The other building was large and served as their lab.

Since Flame was worried about the traders, they entered his house to investigate. To their surprise, Flame’s house had a very elegant but simple interior with fine furnishings. It felt like an expensive hotel room with a warm color scheme. In fact, Beachcomber didn’t want to go inside because he was afraid of getting it dirty. Flame ran inside and kissed a simple wicker chair. Due to the memory alterations, he was happy to even own that chair. He thought he had lost it all.

“Flame,” said Xaaron, “I didn’t know you were into interior design.”

“It’s a hobby of mine,” said Flame, “like my home was literally an escape from this backwater place. If it wasn’t for those traders, I’d have never gotten the stuff to make my house look this good. While I was down in that fissure, I worried that they were going to break in my house and take everything I worked so hard for. All of this came out of my own pocket. It’s taken me years to get everything so nice and perfect like it is.”

After a quick tour, they unpacked Flame’s belongings and decided to go to Beachcomber’s house to plan their next move. Beachcomber’s house was a sharp contrast to Flame’s house. Beachcomber had very little furnishings and all of them were cheap and mismatched. On the walls, he had woven tapestries, including the flag of Kalis, and a dish cabinet full of beautiful minerals. His bedroom was nothing more than a hammock, a cabinet, and a bookshelf. His home only appeared larger because he had few furnishings.

The only plan they came up with was convincing the traders that Flame was no longer interested in their services. They were going to meet up with them at night, since that was when the traders arrived. They stayed in the property for the rest of the day. Flame and Beachcomber went to check the reactors and saw that they were stable. Flame also checked for messages, but saw he didn’t have any work-related ones as usual. Xaaron did research on the license plate number of the vehicle Beachcomber had seen. It turned out to have been stolen. 

They had gone to meet the traders, later that night, but none of them showed up. While they waited, Star Saber attempted to purge the toxins from the sea using his energy attack. Stabbing the sea like he did the excavation site, he managed to make the sea spit out the sludge into the shoreline. Everyone then worked to clean it up. It wasn’t as much as Beachcomber had thought since the ship he saw was small. While, they worked, they saw another ship pull up to the sea and the mechs were unloading several large barrels.

Star Saber and the others confronted them. These mechs were not the traders. They were a small group of Decepticon delinquents. Xaaron was the first to speak, “You better think twice about dumping your garage into the sea, or else Ultra Magnus here is going to demolish you!” Xaaron pointed at Star Saber.

One of the delinquents looked at Star Saber and replied to Xaaron, “I thought Ultra Magnus was blue.”

“Tyrest and Kalis, as well as the Sea of Rust are combat-free zones,” explained Xaaron, “your actions constitute as a declaration of war against the environment. You have angered Ultra Magnus so much he has changed to a complementary color scheme! Though he appears calm, he can barely contain his rage!”

As Xaaron spoke, Star Saber played along and made his body appear tenser. The delinquents got scared and started loading up their ship again. Xaaron handed them a business card to a nearby recycling plant. They took the card, their garbage, and sped off. Beachcomber had a chance to look at the mechs. A couple of them looked like the ones he had captured on footage. Seeing they were not in any way involved with Starscream, Beachcomber knew the lawsuit was pointless. He was not upset about this outcome either, because he only wanted to stop the pollution.

Flame let out a relieved sigh. They went back to the camp. Star Saber and Xaaron decided to stay at Beachcomber’s house. They rested there for the rest of the night. Concerned about Tyrest, Star Saber and Xaaron had made plans to leave early in the morning. Beachcomber wanted to come too, since he had grown curious about Xaaron’s friend.

Star Saber decided to call Tyrest and ask him for permission. Surprisingly, Tyrest didn’t mind Beachcomber coming along. He also convinced Star Saber to use the space bridge portal. Flame was fine with Beachcomber leaving. (But then, Flame was always annoyed with Beachcomber’s silly antics and needed a break. He also wanted to catch up with his own research in peace.) When they were ready, they went through the space bridge and arrived in Luna-1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way Ultra Magnus, the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, is seen in this AU is like an unstoppable and monstrous individual capable of punching violators into the sun. Almost everyone is afraid of him and that's why many will not risk violating the Tyrest Accord. This is good, since the vague threat alone keeps crime down. 
> 
> What they don't realize is that Ultra Magnus isn't like this at all. He's just a big mech who wants to live a boring but organized, peaceful life. Too bad he doesn't get a speaking role in this story. 
> 
> If you are curious about the "perverse type of necromancy that was punishable by death" Flame was doing, it's explained better in this series, I wrote a while back called "[Curse of Nine](http://archiveofourown.org/series/414394)", the actual process is explained in a bit more detail in the last story of that series called "[Dreams are Made of Biscuits](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6117887)".


	18. Some special arrangements.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber and Xaaron return to Luna-1 with Beachcomber. Tyrest is waiting for them.

Arriving on Luna-1, they emerged out of the space bridge. Tyrest, carrying only his staff, met them there. Before he was able to say a word, Star Saber spoke. “I’m so glad to see you again. Excuse me; I must go back to the chapel. After what I’ve seen in Vector Sigma, I need to redecorate.” Star Saber hurried away.

Without warning, Xaaron hugged Tyrest’s thick thigh. “You have no idea how worried I was about you after you ran off crying,” said Xaaron, “I didn’t want to upset you so much. That’s why I texted you so much. I don’t care if those texts are going to cost me a fortune on my next bill, but they had to be done.”

Tyrest had noticed Beachcomber with them and became embarrassed. He didn’t like strangers knowing that he cried. He also didn’t want to push Xaaron away because that would look bad in front of Beachcomber.

“Xaaron…,” whispered Tyrest quietly, as he petted Xaaron’s head, “…you are getting ripped off. Don’t worry; I’ll hook you up with my mobile network. It has unlimited data, minutes, and text from anywhere in this galaxy. Everyone who works for me uses this exclusive service, since communication is the key to enforce my Accord.” Tyrest had no clue what to say to make Xaaron feel better, but he was trying his best.

Beachcomber, who cared little for formalities, said to Tyrest, “Oh…so you are Xaaron’s friend. He has told me about you, sir. It’s so nice to know we have someone within your high-ranks that understands us. Please send my regards to the chief justice in charge of creating the Tyrest Accord. Without his intervention, our community wouldn’t be as safe and peaceful as it is today.”

“The chief justice is me,” replied Tyrest as his pronunciation changed a bit, because he tried to hide the fact he was flattered.

Without warning, Beachcomber hugged the other thigh. Tyrest had difficulty walking away. He noticed Beachcomber holding an antique lamp and took it away from him. Tyrest hung the lamp on his staff and slowly made his way to the chapel. Star Saber had overheard them approach since Tyrest dragged his legs. (Tyrest was usually light on his feet and was difficult to detect.) Star Saber pried off Beachcomber and Xaaron. Both of them were embarrassed but Tyrest wasn’t upset.

Star Saber took the lamp and said to Tyrest, “I was looking for this.”

“What’s that lamp for?” asked Tyrest.

“It is the Fires of Solus Prime in Vector Sigma,” said Star Saber, “these sacred fires have the ability to recharge and restore health. Though this only happens with prolonged exposure. I have taken the liberty to modify my barbecue grill into a temporary reservoir for the sacred fires. I hope to build a proper structure in the coming days.” Star Saber took a bit of the fire and ignited the grill with it. He then hung the lamp on a stand, since he rather let it extinguish itself.  

Xaaron nudged Tyrest and showed him the photos he took of Vector Sigma. Tyrest began to regret not going with them. Beachcomber was nervous and stood next to Star Saber. Tyrest whispered something to Xaaron. Xaaron looked at the others and asked, “How would you like to join us for high tea?”

Beachcomber perked up his head and smiled.

Tyrest said to Beachcomber, “High tea isn’t herbal. That’s just the name of the meal served along with regular tea.”

Beachcomber frowned, “Then why is it called ‘high tea’ if it can’t even get you high?”

“It is a late meal, that’s the context the word ‘high’ is used in,” said Xaaron.

“What’s next? You’re going to tell me that ‘joint custody’ has nothing to do with whose turn it was to smoke from one of these?” asked Beachcomber as he pulled out one of his joints. He stored it back in his subspace, while shaking his head, “I thought you guys stood for veracity.”

Xaaron was in shock over Beachcomber’s brazen act of showing off the drugs he possessed. Such an act would’ve gotten him arrested anywhere else on Cybertron. It was obvious Tyrest noticed. But then, Xaaron assumed Tyrest was being lenient. After all, weed was legal in Kalis.

“So are you going to want to eat?” asked Tyrest.

Feeling ashamed for coming off as ungrateful, Beachcomber replied, “Yeah. I’m not too picky. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while. Thank you.”

Xaaron was relieved that Tyrest didn’t reprimand Beachcomber. Tyrest showed Beachcomber around as they headed to the dining room. Tyrest made mention of his greenhouse where he grew the some of his crops and kept his exotic plants. Due to the war, food had become scarce everywhere and importing goods was difficult. Farming became the most practical solution. The legislators tended to the crops. Sometimes Tyrest gardened alongside them since he liked to keep himself busy. It was getting dark, so it wouldn’t have been a good idea to visit it anyway.

They arrived at the dining room. The legislators got them seated and served them their plates. Their dinner was going well. Aside from the light pastries, there was also grilled meat, steamed peas, and fruit smoothies. Beachcomber and Star Saber helped themselves, as Xaaron inspected the meal. Tyrest observed them, as the two legislators that were assigned to Xaaron and Star Saber, joined them. Beachcomber looked at them and resumed drinking his mango smoothie.

Another legislator walked in holding a headset and a TV screen. Tyrest put on the headset and looked at the TV. An intimidating black and green spiky mech was on the screen.

“Sir, we attempted to apprehend the suspect but he resisted and ended up…not being alive anymore,” said the spiky mech, “he has such good legs though…um…for running away; my apologies for not being able to bring him to trial.”

“As long as he’s unable to violate my accord, is all that matters to me,” replied Tyrest coolly, “whenever you get the chance, come pick up your paychecks. They are ready.”

“Thank you, we will be arriving in the next couple of days, assuming this weather cooperates,” said the spiky mech as he hung up.

“Who was that?” asked Beachcomber.

“A Decepticon mercenary who works mainly as a bounty hunter,” replied Tyrest, “I know what you’re thinking, why am I working with Decepticons? It’s part of the neutrality agreement of the Tyrest Accord. I should not favor one faction over the other, since that is unfair and biased. I may not agree with some of their political views, but this crew is very good. If it wasn’t for some supposed ‘conflicts of interest’ I’d have made all of them enforcers like Ultra Magnus already. Their leader is a very honorable mech. What a shame.”

“Oh,” said Beachcomber. He took another sip of his smoothie and asked, “What are these supposed ‘conflicts of interest’?”

“Have you ever heard of the Decepticon Justice Division?” asked Tyrest, “They are a specialized team dedicated to hunting down traitors of the Decepticon cause and executing them. Because of the stipulations of the Accord, the following opinion is forbidden; they are a terrorist organization that keeps the members of their faction ‘in check’ with excessive brutality. The reason it's forbidden for me to say anything is because this would somehow ‘sour’ the conditions in which the Tyrest Accord was signed, voiding it.”

Beachcomber looked outraged. It seemed like every new thing he learned about the Decepticon faction offended him further. The Decepticons he had met from the city-state of Tyrest were nothing like this. Like Beachcomber, they were all decent mechs who lacked anything similar to blood lust. All they wanted was a complete government reform and to be given basic rights, but this was due to the fact that the city-state was in a worse state of poverty, overrun by gangs and the local government was very corrupt. However, the Tyrest Accord helped purge the city-state of the gang activity, corruption, and violence, making it as safe as Kalis now.

Sensing the unfriendly environment that question had caused, Star Saber asked Tyrest, “After the Tyrest Accord was passed, have you ever gone back to Tyrest?”

Tyrest paused; the question itself appeared too emotional for him. Tyrest finally replied, “Yes, but it was simply for business and I did not stay very long. I don’t know if I would ever go back. There is nothing left for me there, except the peace of mind knowing that everyone is safe.”

Star Saber cringed since he didn’t mean to worsen the atmosphere by making it somber. However, he succeeded in making it less hostile.

Beachcomber tried to think and he said to Tyrest, “Well, you can always come with me to visit the Jekka Amphitheater in Tyrest. They host several sporting events, not just gladiatorial matches. I think they also have plays in the late spring, early summer. I think all of these started getting aired nationally after the ceasefire.”

“Thank you for your offer,” replied Tyrest, “I wouldn’t know about television programming, since I don’t watch anything. Everything was too political, too violent or too lewd even before the war. There was nothing nice where everyone is kind and respectful to each other. Entertainment, for me, is supposed to be enjoyable; an escape from the unpleasant realities of life.”

“Nice shows exist!” said Beachcomber.

“Name me three,” said Tyrest, “that aren’t science documentaries, sparklings’ programming, or how-to shows.”

Thinking for a bit, Beachcomber asked, “What do you have against all three?”

“I have nothing against them,” said Tyrest, “but that’s all I watch whenever I feel like watching a show. Sometimes, I’m not in the mood for documentaries or projects and then some sparklings’ shows are too dumbed-downed for my tastes. I just want something different that won’t be unpleasant.”

“I wouldn’t know about any shows, since I prefer to read,” said Star Saber, “I read religious books and holy texts. I don’t care much for novels.”

They continued to chat. Since it was late, Beachcomber was going to stay over for the night and leave in the morning after breakfast. However, he felt he wanted to stay a little longer. He had never been inside such a nice house before; it was like a vacation for him. He wanted to tell them but didn’t want to offend his hosts.

However, Beachcomber was anything but subtle. The others could tell he wanted to stay longer. Star Saber and Xaaron looked at Tyrest, who had the final say. Tyrest tilted his head to the side slightly which obscured most of his face into the shadows, giving him a menacing appearance. “Beachcomber,” he said, as he reached into his subspace and pulled out a random phone, “How’d you like to call your colleague and tell him you’re going to stay a little longer?”

“Well, I…really?!” cried Beachcomber excitedly, “I never told him how long I was staying, but it’s nice to let him know. Thanks, man…I mean, sir…” He took the phone and called Flame.

Flame answered it since the caller ID showed it as “The Tyrest Accord Enforcement Division”. He didn’t want to answer at first, since he suspected the call was related to the traders or his previous violations. But he knew better than to ignore the call, since the enforcers would break into his house and destroy everything he worked so hard to attain. To his relief, it was only Beachcomber asking for permission to stay longer.

Flame was mad that Beachcomber almost scared the scrap out of him, but at the same time he knew he had to watch his words since those types of phone calls were recorded. He agreed and told Beachcomber to call when he was ready to return.

Beachcomber smiled and returned the phone to Tyrest. Beachcomber wasn’t naïve. He knew Flame wanted to kick his aft upon his return. Beachcomber could hear the passive-aggressive hostility in the tone of Flame’s voice, but he didn’t give a scrap. Flame was always angry anyway.


	19. The taste of affliction.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite his brief absence, Xaaron fulfills his duties to the Autobot High Council and the Ethics Committee. What he uncovers is worse than he originally thought.

Xaaron entered his room with his legislator. When they closed the door, Xaaron said to the legislator, “Before I had left, I had given you an assignment. I wanted you to spy on my friend, your queen.  You were to report his activity to me via drawings. It’s time to show me what you got.”

The legislator opened the closet and pulled out a portfolio he had made. Xaaron was impressed since that wasn’t part of his order. He handed the portfolio Xaaron, who inspected it. “Wow…” he said as he looked at the drawings. “You’re very good.”

The drawings were lifelike in appearance. Being a bit of an art appreciator, Xaaron took his time to admire the drawings. Most showed Tyrest going about his day. In one drawing he was sitting in front of a large computer and in another he was kneeling by a fountain. These were things Xaaron had already observed in other occasions. Other drawings included him mending one of his capes and curled up inside a plush cube-shaped box with a big hole on one of the sides. Sometimes Tyrest was portrayed sadder than usual. In these drawings, everything appeared fine. After all, Tyrest was in good hands with the legislators. For this reason, Xaaron felt no guilt for leaving with Star Saber. However, the last two drawings concerned the emirate.

In the first one, Tyrest was in front of a strange ring that appeared to be a space bridge. It looked nothing like the space bridge they had been using. This other space bridge resembled something he had seen in a hieroglyph at Vector Sigma. Xaaron didn’t know anything about engineering but it appeared more powerful than the regular ones. Still, something about it felt wrong. But Xaaron was unable to figure out why he felt this way.

For the last one, Xaaron let go of the paper and it glided towards the floor. He didn’t want to rip it out of rage. The legislator picked it up and put it back into the portfolio. The drawing depicted Tyrest drilling into his left forearm with his finger drills. This had been something Xaaron suspected since his recent arrival on Luna-1. He knew that supposed “autoimmune dermal condition” was a lie, but he also hoped it wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, his assumption was correct. Now he felt immense guilt for leaving. He wanted to ask the legislator why he didn’t stop Tyrest. From what he knew about insecticons, they couldn’t’ do anything to upset their queen. Tyrest was the type of person who’d misinterpret an intervention as a personal attack.

The legislator sat next to Xaaron, as the emirate tried to hold back his tears. Xaaron gasped and said to the legislator, “I was sent here to investigate my friend. Those who sent me, suspect him of secretly doing something that would jeopardize the Autobot cause. He’s doing something in secret, alright. I’m going to stop him before it gets worse, do you understand?”

The legislator nodded.

“I know this will be difficult, but in the end it will be worth it,” said Xaaron, “we can’t cure his miserable state, but we can try to make it less miserable. I know this is what you and all the other legislators want. Star Saber wants to help too. But his forcefulness, though well-meaning, may make things worse. The last thing Tyrest needs is feeling threatened in his own home.”

The legislator got up and twirled a bit. Xaaron still did not understand the dancing, but he had a feeling this was about Beachcomber.

“I’m guessing Beachcomber, the mech who came with us, will leave in a day or so,” replied Xaaron, “He’s the last person we’d ever tell about this. He’s the type that empathizes to an extreme. If he knew Tyrest was hurting, he’d feel it too. He’s only here out of curiosity and to show Tyrest that his actions towards his kind have been very good. Plus, it’s nice to talk to someone who shares your same background. So in a way, he is helping. Still, I can’t get over your drawings. I am impressed. If it wasn’t for the fact this may come off as obsessed, I’d hang these all over my room.”

The legislator smiled and put away the portfolio. He went to sleep on a blanket he laid out for himself. Xaaron had offered him his inflatable mattress, but the legislator declined it since he was too heavy for it. He had no problems sleeping on the ground.

Xaaron tried to get ready to sleep too, when suddenly his phone rang. It was from the Autobot High Council, so Xaaron put it on speakerphone. Holding back his urge to yawn, Xaaron said, “This is Emirate Xaaron, chairman of the Autobot High Council; how may I help you?”

“Greetings Emirate, I hope you’ve been enjoying your visit since I’ve tried calling you five times and you never pick up the phone!” cried the voice.

“High Councilor Traachon,” said Xaaron trying to remain calm, “This has been the only time you have called me. Are you sure you weren’t calling my fax number? They are almost the same except the last two digits are flipped.” Xaaron then repeated his phone number. Afterwards, he reached over and searched through the nightstand. Xaaron found his bottle of soothing eye drops.

A low-growl could be heard from the other end of the line as Xaaron instilled the eye drops. Traachon had been calling the wrong number. Xaaron could feel his life-force being drained from him. “If you care calling for a report, I can assure you I have sent the council an email. The chief justice is just at his home. Sometimes he amends the Tyrest Accord to reflect the latest changes to the Autobot Code.”

“We have never received an email,” replied Traachon.

“Did you even bother to check?” asked Xaaron as he let out a sigh. He regretted asking the question. Traachon had always been a mech who made bad decisions. Yet he was appointed as the leader of the Autobot High Council much to everyone’s dismay. Xaaron assumed Tomaandi, the other councilmember, had checked the messages. It was likely he deleted the email since he held a grudge against Tyrest. “High Councilor…” Xaaron took a deep breath and prayed to Primus silently to give him strength. “…I will resend the email.” Xaaron resent the email.

“Oh…” replied Traachon. He began to type and then said “…Well, carry on. But I must reiterate; we cannot afford to deal with any sort of treachery. Ever since Starscream began his involvement with politics, the public has been losing trust in the Autobot cause.”

“I know…” said Xaaron, shaking his head, “…the public is fickle, especially those neutrals.”

“Exactly!” said Traachon, “Over here, Prowl, Bumblebee, and the council are all trying our best to hold everything we worked so hard for, from being picked apart. Those Decepticons and their sympathizers have retrogressed in their strategies. They are feeding the public that same nonsense which ignited the war. They claim they were fighting for freedom, while making no mention of the atrocities they’ve committed. I’m sure your room is bugged, but I don’t care. If Tyrest is listening, I want him to know that I cannot understand how he could work with Decepticons.”

They were unaware that Tyrest had forgotten to turn on the recording devices in the room. After all, Xaaron was away for a couple of days. Not to mention, doing that to his only friend made the chief justice feel immense guilt.

“High Councilor, he only works with Decepticons as part of the Tyrest Accord,” replied Xaaron. He paused and then asked, “It’s a half-assed peace treaty focused on trading technology. Have you even read the Tyrest Accord?”

“I skimmed through it once,” said Traachon, “it sounded like complaints over trivial matters. Then it was countless excuses justifying executions. I don’t understand this, emirate. How can someone be antiwar and pro-death penalty at the same time?”

“From what I know about him…,” Xaaron yawned. He took a deep breath, “…the death penalty only kills the guilty. Being a bit antiquated, he supports this. As for war, it can kill anyone including the innocent, like sparklings, for example. He sees this as unjust since they did nothing wrong and were undeserving of a cruel death.”

“What time is it over there?” asked Traachon, who was concerned about the exhaustion in Xaaron’s voice.

“It is 1:17 am!” replied Xaaron. He struggled to keep his voice down.

"Oh, my apologies,” chuckled Traachon nervously, “it’s 3:17 pm over here. I thought it was the same time over there. I guess I’ll leave you, for now. Goodnight.” He hung up.

Xaaron shook his head as he threw himself back on the bed. He was so exhausted; he fell asleep in an instant. That phone call ruined his, otherwise, good day.

At times Xaaron felt he was the only competent person in the Autobot High Council and all of the duties piled onto him. All three had been appointed since before the war as an attempt to bring balance to the Autobot government. They were all experienced professionals; Xaaron was highly-respected attorney, Traachon was a military general and Tomaandi was a successful businessman. With their combined efforts, they helped the Autobots strategize during the war.

The grudge Tomaandi had against the chief justice began years ago. The chief justice was asked to help investigate some missing funds. Tyrest had discovered Tomaandi had taken these funds as loans for his business which developed high-tech weaponry. This had occurred during the war and Tomaandi tried to justify his actions. He claimed it was an effort to aid the Autobot cause. Due to the fact these actions occurred in secrecy, Tyrest wouldn’t drop the matter. He had interpreted it as illegal. Tomaandi then made the mistake of bribing Tyrest, which outraged him further. (To Tyrest, this only proved Tomaandi’s guilt.) Tyrest made such a scandal that the Ethics Committee investigated Tomaandi and his business. They had found nothing wrong, other than the questionable acquisition of funds. Tomaandi was humiliated nonetheless. (Despite the situation being entirely his fault.) Everyone would’ve forgotten about the incident, but Tomaandi always brought it up when the chief justice was mentioned or referenced.

Meanwhile back in Iacon, Tomaandi had been eavesdropping on Traachon’s private conversation. He was disappointed with the emirate’s findings. He had hoped Tyrest was doing something suspicious, but it wasn’t the case. Tyrest was too honest to do something so underhanded. Tomaandi retreated, plotting his next step. Ignorant of his colleague’s scheming, Traachon sent a message to Prowl and Bumblebee, letting them know the chief justice wasn’t a threat. As for the original email, it _did_ end up in the spam folder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to imagine Xaaron's legislator being "Ten" because of his artistic abilities, feel free to do so. The legislator was simply a random character, much like Star Saber's legislator. The entire point of his actions was to show he was an artisan of sorts; an occupation held by someone in a more advanced society.


	20. Much needed clarification.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrest and Beachcomber discuss matters that pertain to their native populace.

Early that morning, Tyrest walked over to Beachcomber’s room and knocked on the door. Being accustomed to waking up very early, it was about 4:35 am, Beachcomber opened the door. “Good morning, please come with me,” said Tyrest in his natural voice.

He remembered that Star Saber's room was next to Beachcomber’s and looked inside. Star Saber was awake, but he was kneeling in front of the window. The stars were visible. Tyrest closed the door slowly to not disturb Star Saber’s privacy. As he did, Beachcomber had come out of his room. Seeing that he was ready, Tyrest handed Beachcomber a pastry and a cup of coffee, and they left together.

“Where are we going?” asked Beachcomber, with a hint of confusion in his voice.

Tyrest looked at Beachcomber, “The lower meeting room. Didn’t you want to discuss your concerns with me?”

Beachcomber asked, “I don’t remember wanting to discuss anything with you.”

Tyrest stopped by Xaaron’s room and looked inside. Xaaron and his legislator were both sound asleep. Satisfied with what he saw, they continued walking quietly until they arrived at the meeting room, which was located in the basement. Beachcomber looked around and said, “Oh those concerns. Now I remember the actual concern I had. I was…um…curious about your name. I don’t remember hearing anyone say it.”

Tyrest chuckled, “My name is Tyrest. My carrier named me after the city-state I was born in so I wouldn’t forget my roots. It’s refreshing to meet someone from the area. I’ve not encountered many. This is the main reason I did not mind you coming along. Especially, after what the emirate has said about you and how helpful you have been.”

Beachcomber took a seat on a sofa and ate his pastry with the coffee. That odd text message he had seen made sense, it was from the chief justice not the city-state. Before he could ask, Tyrest said, “I already had my breakfast. It was a bowl of custard. While you make yourself comfortable, let me get everything ready. It’s so nice to speak with a local; it’s been many years…”

“Well…” sighed Beachcomber, “…I’m originally from Ibex. I moved to Kalis because I wanted to work as a geologist there. I was fortunate to have been accepted just before the war began and the job restrictions were applied. I just can’t stand the sight of violence and bloodshed. It makes me physically ill and can mess me up for days or even weeks.”

“Say no more,” said Tyrest, as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a glass water pipe. As his style dictated, the water pipe was large and had an iridescent gold sheen to it. The water pipe was a gift from his conjunx imported from his namesake. He had not forgotten his roots and was proud of his cultural heritage. Tyrest sat on the sofa next to Beachcomber. However, the chief justice rarely smoked due to personal preference. He had only used it four times before.

Beachcomber pulled out a small bag of weed and set it on the coffee table. The way Xaaron had spoken about him, Beachcomber was unsure if Tyrest liked or used weed. Tyrest picked up the weed from the table and sampled a bit as Beachcomber waited in anticipation.

Tyrest smiled, “Yes, the good stuff…haven’t had any in years because most herb I’ve encountered has been the inferior kind. You can tell in the leaves how the plant’s living conditions were like. Most of these are grown in small rooms with artificial light. It’s sickening and unnatural to the plant. Only a fool would allow such filth to enter their body. But this sample is grown the way Primus has intended, outdoors and in the sunlight.”

As Tyrest continued to smell the dried leaves, Beachcomber said, “I grew this myself, man. I’m like you, only the dankest kush will do. If you take a big-enough hit, you’ll ascend to Cyberutopia. I can guarantee you this will give you the best high in your life. I have some seeds on me too, if you want.”

“I really can’t,” said Tyrest in a more somber tone, “even though it’s legal here and I have various gardens where they can grow happily. I’ll show them to you later. I promise. The problem I have is that my Duly Appointed Enforcer wouldn’t allow such a thing. I’m sure if he saw me consuming the herb, his relentless fury would have no end. He’s very anti-cannabis.”

“What a tool…” scoffed Beachcomber as he packed the weed into the water pipe’s bowl.

“Now…now…there’s no need to insult him,” interjected Tyrest, “he’s very dedicated and I respect him very much. He’s one of the few I can trust…to a degree. I understand why he dislikes it.” He signaled to Beachcomber, “You are my guest. You smoke from it first. After all, the herb is yours.”

“But how can you hate the herb?” asked Beachcomber as he waited for it to heat up before inhaling. He exhaled slowly and added, “C’mon, these were blessed by Primus himself…sort of. I had the seeds and all these packets on me when we entered Vector Sigma. Then when the Avatar of Primus blessed us, they got blessed too.” Beachcomber pulled out several packets and laid them on the table for Tyrest to see. He also pulled out all the other stuff he had rolled up too.

“Blessing by proxy, then?” smirked Tyrest, “I remember Star Saber talking about such things in my religious education lessons. Though I suspect the practice began as an explanation to forbid bringing inappropriate items to a place of worship.” Tyrest got the water pipe and smoked from it too.

Beachcomber shot a quick glance back at the weed.

Noticing the jumpy behavior Tyrest cried, “Damn it, what is wrong with you?! This herb is neutral like alcohol. In appropriate amounts it is beneficial to your health and helps you open up your mind to the truth. And by ‘the truth’, I mean Primus. The blessing it has received doubles this positive effect.”

“Sorry, I’m just so used to passive-aggressive comments about it,” replied Beachcomber sadly, “I don’t think it’s bad though…It has helped me avoid so many panic attacks by keeping my mind relaxed. This shouldn’t be illegal at all. The Cybertronian government just hates it because it’s difficult to control and regulate.” He smoked from the pipe before handing it back to Tyrest, “Control is money and they’re mad they can’t exploit it.”

Tyrest burst into laughter. He inhaled from the water pipe and reclined back into the sofa. He thought about what he wanted to say since he felt the urge to explain.

“I apologize, but that is ridiculous,” said Tyrest, “You still have that toxic foreign mindset. But that’s because no one has taken the time to teach you why it’s so toxic. Control, in the right amounts, is not bad. Control helps bring order and order, in turn, promotes peace. Isn’t this what we want? To live in peace until it’s time to become one with the Allspark? I dislike that foreign rebels have appropriated the herb to justify their supposed revolution. Revolution brings forth chaos, the antithesis of peace. Their way of thought is perverse and that’s why they misuse the herb. It’s their fault the Cybertronian government opposes the herb.”

Beachcomber paused and thought about Tyrest’s words, “Bruh…I never thought about it like this but that makes perfect sense. The Tyrest Accord brought the order to the city-states with beneficial laws for the inhabitants. And like the fact it didn’t ban weed…no wonder it’s a paradise!”

“As if I’m going to forbid the inoffensive customs of my kind,” scoffed Tyrest, “that’s preposterous! I’ve also heard arguments about the Cybertronian government using its ban on the herb as a means of cracking down on the oppressed. I disagree with that notion as well. The herb, despite it being a hardy plant, doesn’t do well in most places due to the generally dry, cold, or hazy climate of Cybertron. That’s why the criminals resort to elaborate and expensive types of farming in order to produce their inferior crop. Despite it containing various nutrients, I can guarantee you that very few of them use the herb as vegetable greens. They all just want to get intoxicated by it and cause trouble. I can’t reiterate enough that these mechas ruined it for everyone.”

“Bruh…” said Beachcomber, “I didn’t know herb was edible like that. I just smoked it or weaved it into cloth.”

“You have to eat the herb raw,” said Tyrest. He hand the water pipe to Beachcomber, “My carrier used to give us herb because it’s so easy to get. He would put it in our sandwiches, salads, and even wrapped the leaves up to make them into ice cream cones. Everyone else did it too and we all turned out fine. But if you heat it up, that’s when it can make you high. After all, the vapor is a gas. Gasses get up high and take you along for the ride.”

Beachcomber inhaled from the water pipe and asked Tyrest, “You seem like the kind of mecha that knows a lot about things. Seriously, you are very wise. I want to know, what’s Aequitas? I heard your friend mention it back at Vector Sigma once and I keep forgetting to look it up.”

Tyrest chuckled. He leaned over to Beachcomber and said, “That’s a judging machine I built for that trial. But like, I only did it because I needed to work on my secret project. I convinced those Iaconians that the war crimes were so atrocious like, who in their right mind would listen to that? Sure, I’m an OSM survivor and grew up in the roughest area in Tyrest. I’ve seen things as bad or worse growing up. I’m desensitized to it but they don’t know that.” Tyrest burst into laughter once more.

“What was your secret project?” asked Beachcomber.

“Mecha hush!” replied Tyrest as he attempted to silence his own laughter, “Secrets aren’t supposed to be told.”

Misunderstanding the reply, Beachcomber said, “Bruh…you were growing kush in a place where it’s illegal? Even I don’t have the spheres to pull that off. That’s the real reason I studied geology because I knew I was going to be able to work in Kalis where I could smoke all the weed I want without committing a crime.”

”Fam, when you have the power to make the laws, you can never commit a crime,” said Tyrest, “I have committed no crimes. Everything I’ve been doing is legal as far as the law is concerned, any questions?”

Beachcomber cleared his throat, “Yeah, I have several…”

Tyrest groaned. He should’ve known better. Beachcomber asked a lot of trivial questions, but none of them were personal. Because of this, Tyrest kept answering them since he wanted to have a conversation that didn’t start prying into his privacy. Tyrest then said, “I have been thinking about many things lately, since my hour is at hand. I regret not being more critical of Megatron.”

“Yeah, about that…” said Beachcomber, “Xaaron told us everything he did. I used to dislike him, but now I hate him. How could you be so inconsiderate of others?”

“He’s one of those who had nothing and now feels he should have everything,” Tyrest rolled his eyes, “his egotistical entitlement disgusts me. I say this as someone who had nothing when I was a sparkling. I’m sure the way he was exploited; he wasn’t degraded like I was. He wasn't constantly bullied into submission or beaten. Even if one denied his actions that led up to the Great War, his selfishness is in his very name. After all, ‘Megatron’ begins with M-E, ‘me’. Me, me, me, me! That’s who he ever thinks about and no one else.”

“Holy scrap!” cried Beachcomber, “That explains so much.”  

Without warning, Tyrest rolled out of the sofa and tried to hide underneath the coffee table but he was too large, so he curled up next to it. He began to tremble in fear.

“What’s wrong, fam?” asked Beachcomber as he scooted closer to him.

“I have forgotten how to do the Iaconian accent,” said Tyrest as he covered his mouth with his hands, “and I have been talking with that accent for like a billion years. When I open my mouth they’re gonna know I ain’t one of them.”

“Didn’t they already find out you’re a Tyrestan?” asked Beachcomber as he smoked from the water pipe again.

“They what?!” bleated Tyrest nervously, “Impossible! I have done whatever I could so they wouldn’t know. You know how those snobs are. That’s why I only speak though inferior microscopes so they can garbage my voice and no one would suspect a thing. I can always blame budget cuts for the ‘accent’, just in case they want start something with me.”

“I thought microscopes where the ones that look at stuff,” said Beachcomber, “I have a couple of those in my lab back at Kalis. And like there’s mechas that turn into them too, I saw one when I went to college. I think you meant ‘microphones’.”

Tyrest held out his hands in front of Beachcomber, “My hands are too big to hold such tiny phones.”

Beachcomber got Tyrest’s hands, “Your hands are so cute and just beg to be held.” He held Tyrest’s hands.

Confused by the sudden hand-holding, Tyrest said, “I’ve think we smoked too much.” He let go of Beachcomber and took back his water pipe. He unpacked the weed from the bowl and handed it back to Beachcomber. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

“You can keep it, along with any of these weeds I set on the table,” said Beachcomber.

“Thank you,” said Tyrest as he looked through the weed Beachcomber had placed on the table. Beachcomber glanced at his watch. It was barely 7:30 am.

Tyrest saw the time and let out a sigh of relief. “Good thing it’s still early. Otherwise, Xaaron would’ve been looking for me and start screaming if he knew I smoked. This is why I don’t smoke too much because then others would know.” Tyrest frowned, “We should’ve brewed it and drank it as tea instead. I still owe you real high tea.”

“Don’t worry about it, fam,” said Beachcomber, “it’s all good.”

Tyrest counted the joints as he separated them from the blunts. “Why do you have so many of these? This is like a year’s supply. You’d do so much time if they caught you with this much herb in places like Iacon.” Tyrest kept some of the joints, several of the bags and seeds. The rest were returned to Beachcomber.

“Why are you surprised?” asked Beachcomber, “We’re Autobots. We’re supposed to roll out all this. Plus, there was a time my colleague was out exploring, and I had nothing better to do.”

“Alright, that makes sense,” said Tyrest as he nodded in approval. “Let’s clean up and go.” They left the meeting room and headed back upstairs to join the others, after they put everything away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the real inspiration behind this chapter and the whole kind of OOC deal with the marijuana has to do with Tyrest's design itself. He reminds me of marijuana leaf. He's that similar shade of green and the shape of his helm is palmate, with either 5 or 7 points. (I personally prefer to draw him with 7 points, but it's inconsistent, so whatever.) He looks like a weed angel (as well as a sun angel) to me. I originally was going to make an art tutorial about this, but I figured it was better to pepper it into this story and make you reevaluate how you feel about him. 
> 
> Yeah, this was one of those concepts that if I didn't give any context or build up to it, it would just sound like some random headcanon I threw in there just because. Sometimes I wonder if I take this type of planning too far.


	21. Alien trees on an alien moon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber and his legislator meditate in the beauty of nature, among other things. Tyrest reveals to Xaaron and Beachcomber that when he says, "I'm okay" is just a massive lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from lyrics from this Star Wars parody fan-made sing called “[NOT THE FUTURE](https://youtu.be/k9tgLnI0fFc)”. 
> 
> Musically it sort of describes the type of music I associate with the Circle of Light and fits the tone I tried to convey in this chapter.

Star Saber had left the compound to take a walk around the tropical moon. He was accompanied by his legislator. He had left his room shortly after Tyrest had come by to check on him. He wanted to go sooner, but didn’t want to worry the chief justice panic for the sudden disappearance. Unlike Xaaron, Star Saber didn’t speak to his legislator, but didn’t ignore him either. In fact, he wanted to take the time to learn how to speak through choreography. He had an outdated book and used that to speak to the legislator.

While they hiked, the legislator came to a stop and did a short dance. Star Saber observed the movements. From what he understood, the legislator was talking about the nearby tree. Star Saber, aware that he understood speech said to him, “What about these trees? They have such large fruit. Would you like me to cut one for you?”

The legislator shook his head. He placed both his hands on his belly then slowly moved them away.

“You are saying that the fruit from this tree is very filling?” asked Star Saber.

The legislator nodded.

“Is it alright if I can pick some for later?” asked Star Saber.

The legislator grabbed a branch and lowered it for Star Saber. The fruits resembled apples, but were round like over-inflated water-balloons. They were a peachy red, almost pink in appearance and a bit translucent. After Star Saber had taken five apples, the legislator picked three apples for himself. Since the legislator told him the apples were very filling, Star Saber pulled out a small knife and cut a quarter of the apple. It was sweet and the peel almost melted away in his mouth. His slight hunger was gone in an instant. He placed the remaining apple in a plastic bag and stored it, along with the others, in his subspace.

The legislator, being larger, ate his three apples. In fact, the legislators preferred to eat a couple of these apples instead of a meal. It was less work than cooking. The trees were wild trees that had been on Luna-1 before Nova acquired it. Some of the trees were replanted in an orchard, so they would be more accessible. These trees were located in areas the legislators seldom traveled to. The ones on their usual routes were left alone. The legislators often incorporated the apples into the meals they cooked as filler.

Star Saber and his legislator continued their hike. It was still early that the stars were still visible. “Please remind me to ask your queen about the signs in the sky,” said Star Saber to the legislator. “Ever since he mentioned it, I’ve tried to do my own research on the matter. The stars herald the arrival of something but I’m not sure what…”

The legislator was confused by Star Saber’s cryptic comment.

“I think I will be reunited with some old friends soon,” said Star Saber, “I was part of a combiner team. We were known as the Brainmasters. We were very close, until the discord. I was always at odds with the colony leader, Dai Atlas. We were both declared supreme commander since our predecessor decided we were both fit to lead. However, since Dai Atlas dealt with politics more so than me, he was seen as higher in rank. I did not mind him dealing with that. Politics have never been for me. But I did not like how he tried to police our devotional acts.”

Star Saber motioned the legislator to have a seat, since the situation was not a quick one to explain. When the legislator sat down, Star Saber said, “My colony was made up of very religious mechs who worship Primus. There are certain required ways to worship him. There are also other ‘unofficial’ ways of worship. How I see it, as long as the act is not immoral and you do what is required, you can worship Primus however you like. If these good customs help you get closer to Primus, who am I to stop you? For example, your queen believes Primus communicates messages through the stars. Though there is no basis for that, as far as I’m aware, he incorporates this custom into his prayers. The messages he’s read and asked me about are appropriate and match up with the teachings. I have no reason to forbid these, do you agree?”

The legislator thought about what Star Saber said. He nodded.

Star Saber sat down and continued, “Dai Atlas disagreed. He wanted everyone to worship Primus in the exact way he did. I understood his concerns. He feared a corrupted version of our religion would arise. Such corruption can be prevented with mandatory religious education classes. These classes would be available at different times as to not come in conflict with your work schedules. Often, there was care available for your sparklings if they were too young to join you. It was a struggle to finally convince Dai Atlas to allow this. As a missionary, I believe faith is nurtured through religious education. This has always been something I’ve considered important.”

He continued explaining how it was a struggle to convince Dai Atlas about _anything_. He was a stubborn mech. Though this was a good trait since it made him reliable and his faith unwavering, it also made negotiations impossible. Star Saber admitted that dealing with Dai Atlas became exhausting. To Star Saber, Dai Atlas didn’t care much for the welfare of those he governed. This perceived selfishness made Star Saber resent Dai Atlas.

One of his fellow Brainmasters was determined to make Dai Atlas less narrow-minded. However, it seemed he began to spend more time with Dai Atlas and less time with his fellow Brainmasters. At first, the others didn’t mind, since his companions were not the jealous types. But, it became more concerning when he sided with Dai Atlas on more issues instead of with the other Brainmasters. Star Saber, being the courageous one, took it upon himself to confront his companion. That was when he learned the shocking truth; his companion had fallen in love with Dai Atlas.

Star Saber’s resentment grew. He and the others felt betrayed by this rogue companion. Yet, they were not surprised. This companion had been spared the terrible assault where they suffered for their faith. He had been sick and unable to join them. For this reason, it appeared that the other four had grown closer to each other than the rogue. The rogue could never understand their views, their suffering, and their steadfastness to their faith. This was why he fraternized with the enemy until they became lovers. This was the cause of the discord.

Star Saber finally having enough and gathered the courage to leave. However, the remaining three companions refused to follow him. He was not surprised. Star Saber wasn’t as close to them as he used to be after the assault. He was sensitive to any form of touch or anything intimate. For this reason, he felt no remorse in his decision to leave. Tranquility no longer existed for him there. Those who begged him to stay, were the ones with the guilt. He felt they should’ve done more and that was why he ignored their pleas.

The legislator understood Star Saber’s sorrow; he was very group-oriented too. Star Saber wept, part of him longed for his companions and the other part of him wanted revenge. The legislator held Star Saber until he calmed down. Afterwards, they resumed their hike and meditated over nature. He received a text from Tyrest, asking him where he was. Star Saber told him he was hiking with his legislator and they shouldn’t wait for them.

The legislator showed Star Saber another tree with bristly leaves. He plucked a leaf and used it as brush to clean some dirt off his legs. The legislator danced and seemed to say the tree was called “brush leaf tree” and that it had disinfectant properties. After brushing themselves clean, they headed back to the mansion.

Xaaron was annoyed that Tyrest and Beachcomber had smoked together. He smelled it on both of them and Tyrest was less cautious than usual. The emirate said nothing. Despite his hatred of recreational drug use, it seemed to have reduced Tyrest’s anxiety, which made Xaaron keep his silence.

“Tyrest, you seem happy today,” said Xaaron, “I haven’t seen you this cheery since your conjunx was still alive.” Xaaron hoped his inappropriate commentary would coax Tyrest into expressing his feelings. He knew such an act was cruel, but he had no other choice.

“Xaaron, I’m never happy,” replied Tyrest with a bright smile on his face, “I’m smiling because my mind is free. It’s as if I was being corrupted by a poison but the herb, she saved me. I have been wondering why I have been out of touch with reality for so long. It’s not because I’m naïve like you think I am. It’s because I know too much.”

“You’re a genius, fam,” replied Beachcomber, “just sitting next to you makes me smarter.”

Sensing some truth in his friend’s drug-induced rambling, Xaaron asked, “Would you care to describe the poison or the amount of knowledge you possess?”

“I don’t know if I can,” said Tyrest, “It came, grabbed me, creeped up inside and consumed me. It’s a disease of the mind that’s too close for comfort. Some days I’m strong, while other days I want to die. But I can’t die because I want to be alive to see my family again.” Tyrest noticed the others’ worried expressions and said, “Don’t worry. I’m good at masking my sorrows from everyone else. You see the legislators? They’re really good about picking up on my emotions and the fact I’ve learned just enough to trick them…” Tyrest chuckled. Beachcomber laughed too, thinking it was a joke. Xaaron giggled, but in reality, he wept from within.

Star Saber entered the room along with his legislator. Xaaron saw him and said to the others, “Excuse me.”

He grabbed Star Saber by the arm and walked him to another room. As soon as Star Saber closed the door, Xaaron began to cry. He said to Star Saber, “Reverend, I…I came here wanting to investigate Tyrest’s suspicious activities. You know what I discovered instead? I discovered he is suffering. You don’t realize how much this hurts me. Seeing my dear friend, one of the sweetest mechs I’ve ever met, in this horrible state. The fact I got him to admit this while intoxicated…He doesn’t even trust me enough to ever tell me these things while sober.”

Star Saber gave Xaaron a hug. Despite the fact he enjoyed being hugged by big strong mechs, this didn’t seem to help the emirate feel better. Star Saber stayed by Xaaron’s side for several minutes. After a while, Xaaron motioned to Star Saber to give him some space. Star Saber left the room. Immediately afterwards, Beachcomber walked in. At this point, Xaaron had recomposed himself, but his eyes were still sore from crying.

Seeing that Beachcomber’s movements were less sluggish, Xaaron motioned to Beachcomber to come closer. Beachcomber sat next to him, and Xaaron said, “Sorry this is a bit abrupt, there is something I need to tell you.”

Beachcomber listened carefully.

“Never trust a mech that wants or has a QIU,” said Xaaron, “all of those mechs are predatory degenerates.”

“What?” asked Beachcomber.

“You don't know, but that's okay,” said Xaaron, “Let’s just say they’re the type to want to rub canons together with you whether you want it or not. You wouldn't understand, you're not a tank but that’s the least inappropriate analogy I could think of.”

Beachcomber looked at Xaaron with some disgust and asked, “What are you on?” He mistook Xaaron’s saddened reddish eyes for being bloodshot.

Xaaron closed his eyes and sighed. Perhaps it was better if he wouldn't have spoken, but that needed to be said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A "QIU" is explained in better detail in [Chapter 28](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765/chapters/16306055)′s end notes. HINT: It's not a good thing.


	22. In and around the lake.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrest tells Star Saber his political views. Later he joins Xaaron, and Beachcomber go to explore a hidden underground lake within the compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration for the title is [to be continued](https://youtu.be/VPB6MHlyBa4) ➡️

Seeing that Beachcomber had left and Xaaron was not around, Star Saber asked Tyrest, “Sir, you know a lot about laws and miscellaneous rules. How do I become an Autobot?”

Tyrest’s eyes widened. In a calm manner, he asked, “Star Saber, why are you asking about _that_? I recall, you told me that you didn’t like being involved in politics.”

“Beachcomber and Emirate Xaaron both convinced me it’s the right thing to do,” replied Star Saber. However, he realized the question upset Tyrest so he changed the subject. “Our trip was wonderful. You should’ve joined us. It reaffirmed my purpose.”

Conscious of Star Saber actions, Tyrest interrupted Star Saber, “To answer your question, you need to take an exam. The exam is over the Autobot Code, and if you know the code you pass the test. After the test, there is a branding ceremony. I appreciate your concerns, but I have my reasons as to why this subject is a touchy one.” Tyrest paused, “Hmm…perhaps I should enlighten you on why I feel this way. I don’t want you to make such a rash decision in regards to faction affiliation. Follow me.”

Tyrest, Star Saber and Star Saber’s legislator, left the room. Tyrest led them to the evidence storage room, located in another building within the compound and they sat at a table. The room was filled with all sorts of experimental weapons, many of them dangerous, including the harmless-looking ones. Tyrest had chosen this location because it was one of the most private ones.

“Now that we’re alone…” He looked over at the legislator and said, “I know you are capable of respecting private conversations, unlike my nosy friend.” He turned to face Star Saber, “…I can speak freely about the Autobot faction.”

“What is wrong with being an Autobot?” asked Star Saber, “The way you speak of it, makes it seem like it’s a bad thing.”

“Don’t be silly, both factions are bad,” said Tyrest, “but the Autobots more honorable than Decepticons, only by a minuscule fraction. The Decepticon faction is living up to their name of being deceptive. I’m sure the emirate explained this to you, yes?”

Star Saber nodded.

Tyrest closed his eyes for a few seconds. Making eye-contact with Star Saber he said, “The Autobots tried to reform the old regime. They sought to cleanse it from its corruption. But their methods are unrealistic and often contradictory. Sometimes I don’t even know if they actually believe the nonsense they preach. ‘Freedom is the Right of all Sentient Beings’? Freedom from what? The old regime? The sporadic Decepticon Empire? This only sounds nice but means nothing. How can you talk about the right to have freedom, if our compatriots don’t even have the right to live in safety?”

Still maintaining eye-contact with Star Saber, Tyrest continued, “And you know why their ideologies are flawed? They were created by those who never experienced poverty. Those Iaconians don’t know what it’s like to suffer without food or shelter; the most basic needs. They are blinded by their privilege that when someone brings up the suffering of the poor, they become…uncomfortable.”

Star Saber was concerned. This didn’t sound like the type of thing Xaaron or Beachcomber would support. Both of them cared wholeheartedly for the less-fortunate, as well as everyone else, and tried to do their part in making the world a better place.

Tyrest leaned closer to Star Saber, “Let me enlighten you further. Wars are ugly. Anything that says otherwise is a lie. Suppose you would’ve stayed on Cybertron, instead of fleeing with the refugees. A group of armed soldiers comes to your door, their faction badges hidden from view. They ask you ‘Are you an Autobot or a Decepticon?’ If you answer correctly, they spare the life of your household. They might force you into taking up arms with them, but that’s another matter. However, if you answered incorrectly, they’d slaughter your entire household in cold-blood. The truth is; militias from both factions did this. There was no way of distinguishing friend from foe. Some mechs claim that you can tell them apart by looking at their eye color. Autobots have blue eyes and Decepticons have red eyes.”

Star Saber remembered that Deathsaurus had red eyes and was aware he had joined the Decepticons. He thought of Dai Atlas, who also had red eyes. As much as he disliked his nonsense, he knew Dai Atlas would never accept Decepticon ideology, much less become a Decepticon.

“Look at my eyes,” said Tyrest, “tell me, am I an Autobot or a Decepticon?”

Tyrest’s eyes were like a honey-yellow, despite what his public image showed. (For some inexplicable reason, he was given blue or green eyes in various propaganda posters. But then, everyone was too busy admiring his gorgeous physique to pay any attention to the accurate color of his eyes.)

Star Saber replied, “Your eyes are neither. However, from having met you and your friend, it is safe to assume you had an affiliation with the Autobots at some point. I understand your message; profiling others like that is wrong.”

Tyrest nodded and asked, “After all this I have told you about Autobots, do you still want to become one?”

“Yes,” replied Star Saber.

Tyrest sighed. He motioned Star Saber to leave the room. As he left, Tyrest said, “I’ll prepare everything for your test. I will call you when it’s ready. In the meantime, you can do as you please.”

“Don’t I have to study for it?” asked Star Saber.

Tyrest put his hand around Star Saber’s shoulder and said, “As your proctor, that’s not going to be necessary. With our talk and what you’ve shown me, you have proven that you are capable of upholding the reformed Autobot Code that everyone supposedly goes by nowadays. You are an honorable mech, who is willing to fight for the defenseless.”

They left the room and went their separate ways.

Sometime later, Tyrest caught up with Xaaron and Beachcomber. Tyrest remembered he had promised Beachcomber he’d show him his gardens. Seeing that Xaaron was in a somber mood, Tyrest invited him. To his surprise, Xaaron accepted the invitation. There were several gardens on the property, if you counted the crop fields.

The first garden Tyrest showed them was the one located in the atrium of his house. Beachcomber recognized the plants. They were native to the Sea of Rust region. To Beachcomber, the most important plant, _cannabis tyrekalisia_ , was missing from the otherwise perfect garden.

“This is my favorite garden,” said Tyrest, “I call it my ‘root garden’. This is one of the most relaxing places in my house, because of the light traffic. All of these plants are from the Sea of Rust. Even the fountain is supposed to be like a mini-replica of the Sea of Rust.”

“I didn’t even notice that at all,” said Beachcomber, “I guess because of my line of work, I’m more used to seeing the hot springs and geysers than the actual sea. That reminds me, I had detected some damaged pipes near the hot springs and I forgot to tell Flame. He’s the one who dives down and repairs them because he’s resistant to heat as a fire-type. I have to cut my trip short because he can’t do the maintenance alone.”

Tyrest frowned, “I understand, maintenance is critical. Would you at least like to see my special garden before you leave?”

“Okay,” said Beachcomber.

They went to a large building filled with various small ships. They got inside of one that looked similar to Beachcomber’s beat-up ship, but more sophisticated. Tyrest drove them to the apple orchard within the compound. After getting off the ship, he led them to a hidden underground tunnel within the orchard.

Excited, Tyrest lead them inside. They heard the sound of running water and stumbled upon an underground oasis of sorts. There was a large golden lake in the middle. The little light that entered this place, reflected against the lake illuminating the area. There was a wild meadow there, as well as several small creatures.

“Tyrest,” said Xaaron, “Why do you have a golden lagoon in your property?”

“This was already here,” said Tyrest, “I don’t even think Nova knew about it because he never mentioned it. The legislators were the ones that brought me here several weeks after I permanently moved here.”

Xaaron’s legislator walked towards the lake and Beachcomber followed him. The legislator got in the pool and swam underwater. He emerged with a shinier gold finish. Beachcomber put his hand in the lagoon and it now had a shiny gold luster. Beachcomber pulled out a knife and attempted to stab his hand. The blade of the knife shattered on impact.

“Just as I suspected,” said Beachcomber, “this is made out of electrum, a very rare chemical substance that makes you invincible when it bonds to your plating. It’s harder than diamond and increases your defense rating by a tenfold. No wonder these mechas are all golden.”

Tyrest was silent and looked at his hole-riddled body, wondering if this was the reason the legislators were adamant about submerging him into the lake. Tyrest always managed to escape from them. Overcome with guilt, he looked away. Xaaron transformed and drove into the lake. After being fully coated, he emerged and parked on the grass to dry.

Beachcomber explored the area. Some of the small creatures approached him and Beachcomber petted them. These small creatures were docile since the legislators occasionally brought food for them. They had no reason to be fearful of anyone. Legislators entered the cave and brought sliced apples with them. All the small creatures hurried to eat the food.

Holding his hands together, Beachcomber said, “They’re so precious.”

“I know,” said Tyrest, “they’re the main reason I don’t want settlements here on Luna-1. There some mechs who have little regard to the environment. Chances of such mechs setting foot here increase with settlements. Due to lingering anti-functionalist sentiment, many mechs lash out against defenseless trees. Then there’s light pollution, don’t even get me started on light pollution.”

“You don’t need to explain,” said Beachcomber shaking his head.

“What do you mean?” asked Xaaron.

“Light pollution can get you an astronomical fine in Kalis,” said Beachcomber, “but then no one cares because we like it dark over there anyway. After all, stargazing is a major religious practice and you can’t see the stars if there’s too much light.”

Xaaron nodded, Beachcomber made a good point.

They stayed for a bit until Beachcomber looked like he was ready to leave. They exited the tunnel and Tyrest handed Beachcomber the keys for him to drive back to the mansion. Perhaps it was because Tyrest was sitting in the back or because the ship was in stable condition, but Beachcomber drove calmly towards their destination. Tyrest motioned Beachcomber to head towards the southern wing of the mansion because that’s where the space bridge was located.

As they neared their destination, Tyrest leaned over towards Beachcomber and asked, “How would you like to take this ship home with you?”

Beachcomber’s eyes widened and said, “Yeah but what’s the catch?” He covered his mouth because he didn’t mean to sound rude.

“You give me the pieces of your old ship,” said Tyrest, “I always need extra parts. Xaaron told me the miserable state of your ship while we texted. Just swap out the license plates and we’re good to go. Are you still interested?”

“Ye…yes,” stuttered Beachcomber.

When they arrived at their destination, Beachcomber emptied out his subspace. Tyrest worked quickly to trade license plates. After everything was done, Star Saber entered the room. He had been anticipating their arrival for Beachcomber’s departure, at least what he was made aware of due to the quiet conversations he heard from the legislators. They spoke at a faint frequency that was difficult to detect. Star Saber accidentally eavesdropped on them while meditating, since his senses were heightened.

Beachcomber hugged everyone before getting into his new ship. Xaaron activated the space bridge and Beachcomber drove back to Kalis with it. Tyrest gathered the remains of Beachcomber’s old ship and inspected them. Star Saber and Xaaron looked at the chief justice engaging in his odd but harmless activity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's a Beachcomber fanfic without a reference to nature or the Golden Lagoon? ;) 
> 
> As for the Great War and the somewhat different portrayal of it in this story was inspired by real-life anecdotes I've heard from family and others. These anecdotes are from Salvadorian Civil War which took place in the 1980s and early 1990s, between the rightist military government and the leftist guerrillas. Sound familiar? Depending with who you talk to, people either side with the left or the right, since they view their side as "good" or a "lesser evil", but then both sides were awful.
> 
> I think it's a bit too late to mention that the way Tyrest is described in this AU compared to canon, is significantly aged-down. (So is Xaaron.) In a human-perspective/comparison, both of them are about 5 years older than Megatron and Optimus Prime. This is also Tyrest's main frustration with Megatron. He felt Megatron should've been more considerate about others since they're about the same age. However, the chief justice's opinion over Megatron's character is based on their only meeting back in Tyrest when he tried to get him to sign the Tyrest Accord. He may not be aware how much Megatron has grown and changed during the past several years and assumes Megatron has remained the same. Not to mention the atrocities the Decepticons have committed have done little to sway Tyrest's opinions about Megatron.


	23. Let's say GO!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Let's say go!" is Star Saber's catchphrase from the Victory anime. He says it right before he's going to fly off and kick some aft.

About a day or so passed since Beachcomber had returned to Kalis. Everything was calm.  Tyrest had received a message from his Decepticon mercenaries that they were going to experience a delay due to an electrical storm. Meanwhile, Star Saber had Tyrest and Xaaron, along with some legislators who wanted to participate, make urns to decorate the chapel. Star Saber wanted the chapel to reflect the aesthetics of Vector Sigma. The project they were doing involved bending metallic plates to form the urns.

Tyrest didn’t mind the project. He enjoyed crafts or similar projects. The legislators shared similar sentiments. Xaaron didn’t like it because it was a laborious task. Not to mention, his urn was lopsided compared to the ones the others had made. He never was a good craftsman. (This was the main reason he didn’t study engineering. He was aware of his shortcomings.)

Tyrest finished his fifth urn and asked Star Saber, “What are these used for?”

“They’re meant to hold offerings,” said Star Saber, “usually; they’re just there for decorative purposes.”

Seeing that Tyrest was distracted, Xaaron tried to swap urns with him. However, a legislator grabbed his hands and offered to trade his urn instead. The trade was done in a discreet manner and the legislator made corrections to the urn. After the trade, Xaaron said to Star Saber, “I finished my urn, may I go do something else now?”

Star Saber inspected the urn Xaaron had in his possession. Seeing that it was acceptable, he allowed Xaaron to leave. Xaaron hurried to his room and checked his phone. He had left the phone in the room because it needed to charge. He noticed there was a gift box on his nightstand. Curious, he opened it and found a tablet inside. Inspecting the tablet, he saw that it had Tyrest’s emblem on the back of it and its included case.

Around that time, a screen turned on in the room to notify Tyrest of an approaching shuttle. Tyrest zoomed in on the ship pictured on the screen which made the image become more pixelated. Tyrest narrowed his eyes in hopes that would better define the image. Star Saber squinted too and realized it looked familiar. Tyrest pulled out a microphone from behind the screen. Before he was able to threaten the shuttle to leave, Star Saber took it from him and said something in primal vernacular with a heavy accent that neither Tyrest nor Xaaron could understand.

The pilot of the ship replied back in primal vernacular with a similar accent. Star Saber covered the microphone and said to Tyrest, “You must allow them to land, I know them.”

“Who are they?” asked Tyrest in an annoyed tone.

“They are my companions,” said Star Saber, “I thought they had abandoned me, but it seems they had a change of heart and traveled many star systems to find me. All, but the pilot, are fellow priests.”

Not wanting to upset Star Saber, he gave permission for them to land. Xaaron, who was in his room, noticed the shuttle approaching too. He ran back to find Tyrest. Tyrest saw Xaaron holding the tablet. Trying to remain calm he said, “So you found that present I left you? I figured you needed something larger and powerful to do your documentation instead of your phone. Those little things overheat easily.”

“What’s going on and where is Star Saber?” asked Xaaron.

“He teleported out of here moments before you returned,” replied Tyrest, “Apparently his friends have come looking for him. Anyway, if you’re interested, I can get you out of your mobile contract and into mine with unlimited everything. My offer is still valid.”

The shuttle landed by the hangar and Star Saber stood there waiting for them. Three mechs came out of the shuttle, before the shuttle transformed into a gigantic mech. One of the mechs, a blue and red one with a blue visor, pulled out a mass-displacement gun and shot at the gigantic mech. He shrunk until he was roughly the size of a legislator. However, the large mech didn’t last very long standing up. He suddenly fell to his knees. Star Saber and the other three rushed to his side.

Star Saber remembered he had an uneaten pinkish apple in his subspace and handed it to the large mech saying, “Eat this, Galaxy Shuttle.”

Galaxy Shuttle ate the apple and began to feel relief.

Star Saber asked the red mech who approached him, “Blacker, where is…?”

“He is a traitor!” said Blacker with a pained expression, “He would rather stay with _him_ than come with us.”

Star Saber was in shock. He tried his best to hold back his tears, “This cannot be true…”

“Look at us!” cried Blacker, “It’s just me, Braver, Laster and Galaxy Shuttle. He is not here! He is back in New Crystal City. He is gone. He is dead to us.”

Star Saber looked at the red and blue mech, and the yellow mech who were monitoring Galaxy Shuttle. Both of them nodded their head in a solemn manner. They looked to their right and saw six legislators approach them.

“Who are they?” asked the yellow mech.

“These are the insecticons who have colonized Luna-1, Laster,” said Star Saber, “they serve their queen, a sad widow who lives in that big fancy house.” Star Saber pointed at the villa. “They are good peaceful mechs.”

The legislators picked up Galaxy Shuttle and took him to the clinic, as the others followed them. Arriving at the clinic, the legislators hooked Galaxy Shuttle up to an IV and brought him two more apples. Galaxy Shuttle wiped an apple on his arm and took a bite.

Braver, the red and blue mech, inspected the clinic. “This place is very sophisticated for a small infirmary.”

“What kind of fruit is this?” asked Galaxy Shuttle as he finished his apple. He looked at the other one and set it aside because he was full.

“I don’t know,” said Star Saber, “one of these insecticons, which their queen calls ‘legislators’ told me these apples are filling. I figured you were starving because there’s barely anything to eat on the way here. I lost so much weight.”

“Where’d you lose the weight?” asked Laster as he eyed Star Saber.

Braver took the uneaten apple and inspected it. “This is a very rare find,” said Braver, “I can’t quite remember the taxonomic name, but these were once called ‘fuel apples’. They used to be found all throughout Cybertron. They went extinct due to overharvesting and habitat destruction. It was as if they absorbed the sun’s rays, like other trees do to impurities, and convert them into edible energy.”

“These are one of the most common types of trees here,” said Star Saber, “yesterday their queen showed us this giant storage room full of preserved seedlings that he has no clue where to plant. He wanted to introduce them in these city-states called Tyrest and Kalis, but he feared these trees would spread too wildly in the area. They like warm or at least very sunny places.”

They were so busy discussing the apples; they didn’t notice Tyrest and Xaaron enter the clinic. Xaaron let out a sigh of relief. Star Saber’s companions seemed like innocuous mechs. With a sly smirk, Xaaron asked, “Revered, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends?”

Caught off-guard, Star Saber introduced his companions. Blacker, Braver, Laster and himself, called themselves the Brainmasters, since they had a transector inside their brain module that made them superior warriors. Star Saber had the brain of courage, Blacker had the brain of strength, Braver had the brain of intelligence, and Laster had the brain of skill.

Galaxy Shuttle was neither a Brainmaster nor a priest. He was simply a supporter and close friend who helped them whenever he could. Due to his size, Braver created a mass-displacement gun to help Galaxy Shuttle fit inside most buildings, so he wouldn’t be left out.

Though no one brought it up, Galaxy Shuttle had grown to resent Dai Atlas’ leadership in New Crystal City because no one was allowed to leave the underground area. As a shuttleformer, Galaxy Shuttle yearned to fly above the clouds and atmosphere because that was his natural instinct. This was a sentiment shared among other flyers too. The highest parts of the cavern could never compare to the vastness of the sky. The irony of it all was that Dai Atlas was also a flyer, which only fueled their resentment.

After the introductions, Tyrest left since he had to get back to work. Xaaron stayed behind and spoke with the Brainmasters along with Galaxy Shuttle. During their conversation, Xaaron brought up their recent pilgrimage to Vector Sigma. This made Star Saber’s companion’s curious and they wanted to go. Realizing what he had done, Xaaron tried to talk them out of it. He was still exhausted from the pilgrimage even though a couple days had passed. They didn’t listen to him and left the clinic.

Xaaron texted Tyrest as soon as they left. He hoped the chief justice would convince them to stay. Tyrest messaged Xaaron to meet him in a conference room.

When Xaaron arrived, Tyrest chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re getting worked up about this. You should know by now that Star Saber is stubborn. As much as I agree with you, convincing them otherwise is a fool’s errand.”

“You’re right,” said Xaaron, “if anything, might as well convince them to all have phones whenever they decide to return. I doubt they are leaving permanently. From talking to them, they’ll go wherever Star Saber goes and he has no plans to leave.”

“What do you mean, by ‘no plans to leave’?” asked Tyrest who seemed bothered by the statement.

“According to him, Vector Sigma told him that he had to look after you,” replied Xaaron, “leaving permanently would be disobedience.”

Tyrest’s eyes widened, but he remained silent.

Xaaron barely remembered the experience because he blacked out. However, he knew he was also tasked with looking after the chief justice. The evidence his legislator had presented to him further solidified this as truth. Realizing the mood had become somber, Xaaron asked, “What do you think of Star Saber’s large friend, Galaxy Shuttle?”

Appalled, Tyrest replied, “Why would you ask such inappropriate things? I’ve known you for years and I know your intentions. I don’t even know why these lewd ideas even occur to you. He is too big for you and too big for me, if that claim about the mass-displacement gun is true.”

“Tyrest,” said Xaaron, shaking his head, “The only one having lewd ideas is you. I was just asking for your opinion since I thought it was odd for him to come along with them. From what I understand, the Brainmasters are like a combiner team and those share a close bond. Then this shuttleformer is out of place among the group.” But this was a partial truth; Xaaron was interested in how well-hung the shuttleformer was too.

Before Tyrest had a chance to argue with Xaaron, his phone rang. It was Star Saber who was asking permission to take provisions. Tyrest agreed under the condition they all use the space bridge.

Unlike Star Saber's previous trips, he and the others were given special passports as a precaution. The passports were unique in the fact they identified them all as official registered enforcers of the Tyrest Accord. Kalis, as well as Tyrest, had strict immigration laws as part of the Tyrest Accord. Though the chief justice didn’t like this particular law, it needed to be done in order to protect the inhabitants from blood-thirsty mechs who wanted to attack the defenseless, while pretending to be immigrants.

At first, the Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle were uneasy about having the passports. They were not enforcers of the Tyrest Accord and their conviction said it was wrong to lie. However, Tyrest reassured them that the special passports were the only way they could legally enter the area. After all, he was the one who created the Tyrest Accord and dictated the laws. It would cause more problems to create a new correct category without notifying border security ahead of time.

Satisfied with Tyrest’s rationale, the Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle teleported back to the Sea of Rust. When they arrived, they tracked down Beachcomber to ask him for a copy the map he generated.

Beachcomber was working near a hot spring. Flame was with him too, but he had dived into the hot spring to do maintenance on the pipes, as Beachcomber had mentioned. Beachcomber looked at Star Saber’s friends and asked, “Bruh…are these those missionary friends of yours?”

“Yes,” said Star Saber, “They came all the way from Theophany just to look for me.”

“Man, I wish I had friends like that,” replied Beachcomber, “What brings you here?”

“You were in a hurry to leave that I forgot to ask you for a copy of the map,” said Star Saber.

“Right now I can’t upload the data to your files and work at the same time because I’m using my tablet for this job,” said Beachcomber, “otherwise, I’m more than happy to help. The job requires me to monitor the condition of the pipes and Flame. I’m too tired to do it manually, so my tablet helps me out.”

“Perhaps I can be of service,” said Laster, “I’m a quick learner…teach me how to use this machinery, and I’ll do it manually for you so you can let us borrow your tablet.”

“You seem like a good mecha, okay,” said Beachcomber.

Beachcomber taught Laster, who had downplayed his talent as a theoretician. After the lesson was done, Laster took control and Beachcomber uploaded his map to Braver’s tablet. When it was finished, they bid Beachcomber farewell and continued their journey towards Vector Sigma.

Flame had been unaware of what had occurred when he finally finished the repairs. He wanted to put his arm around Beachcomber, since that was the way he liked to negotiate with others, but remembered his frame was hot. Keeping his distance, he asked Beachcomber, “Now that we finished all the repairs, do you mind telling me what you did to get that sweet new ride of yours?”

“The chief justice wanted to take a couple of hits from his bong with someone,” replied Beachcomber, “it’s not very fun if you smoke by yourself. And his enforcers hate weed just like you do. He was so happy we were able to partake in our cultural custom because he’s a native, that he gave me my ship in exchange for the old one. He’s building something big, so he needed the parts.”

“What’s he building?” asked Flame. He had cooled of enough to search through his lunchbox. He pulled out a tin containing some homemade extremely spicy curry. All the work left him hungry.

“I don’t know,” shrugged Beachcomber, “I saw these blueprints hanging on the wall of his meeting room. I wanted to ask him about them, but I got caught up listening to his wise philosophy which I can barely remember right now. I just know he said that weed and government are good, because they help everybody. Maybe if you’re nicer to me, I can try to see if I can get you something someday.”

Flame growled and shook his head. He shouldn’t have even bothered to ask. Like his career, talking with Beachcomber was getting him nowhere. He began eating his curry as Beachcomber joined him for lunch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add Star Saber's Victory friends to this story ever since I started watching Victory. Star Saber needs his squad. Unfortunately, there were some problems, particularly with the [Multiforce](http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Multiforce). I still have no idea what to do with them, for that reason I have no plans on giving them an appearance, anytime soon. I felt the same way about the [Rescue Patrol Team](http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rescue_Patrol_Team), who are all sparklings to me.


	24. Precious memories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrest finally confesses the truth about who he is and Xaaron makes an important decision in regards to his friendship with the chief justice.

The evening had been a quiet one. Xaaron wasn’t in the mood to speak. As much as he hated to admit, the arrival of the Brainmasters with Galaxy Shuttle upset him, because he felt jealous. No, he felt taken for granted. All the work he had done and not even a “thank you”, except from Prowl, but he was always courteous. Xaaron’s friends back in Cybertron would never travel across various solar systems in search of him. Xaaron preferred to feel jealous instead of feeling abandoned. Tyrest assumed he was tired and decided to not say much to him. Xaaron was always busy and needed to rest.

The next morning, Xaaron woke up early. He usually liked to sleep in but this particular morning, he felt reenergized. He went to look for Tyrest, who always woke up early. But he couldn’t find Tyrest. For a large ornate-looking mech, Tyrest was very good at disappearing. He wasn’t in his room or in the dining room.

On the verge of giving up, because he felt the anxiousness would ruin his rare early morning good mood, Xaaron said to his legislator, “Help me find Tyrest.”

The legislator picked him up and hurried to the atrium of the house. It was where the “root garden” Tyrest had shown him earlier was located. Xaaron never cared much for fountains and thought they were a waste of water; even though most of them reuse the water from the rest of the indoor plumbing. At first, he thought the legislator had misheard him because he couldn’t see Tyrest, but then he spotted him.

Tyrest was kneeling on the ground. Fortunately, the chief justice didn’t hear them approach due to the sound of the running water from the fountain. Xaaron noticed that his head was lowered and tears were running down his face. Tyrest finally noticed he was not alone and knew they had been observing them. They had seen too much to be deceived.

“Well?” asked Tyrest, with his voice quivering and his accent breaking, “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing,” replied Xaaron as he approached Tyrest.

He noticed Tyrest kneeling near a plaque with an inscription, but could not make out the name. It was obscured by Tyrest’s shadow and the leaves of the flowers that grew around it. It didn’t take long for the emirate to realize that the chief justice was kneeling before a grave. With a brisk movement, the emirate jumped back.

Knowing he could no longer keep the secret from the emirate, the chief justice spoke with his normal voice, “I think it’s about I came clean to you about who I am. My reluctance is due to your manipulative tendencies but you're also my only friend.” Xaaron sat next to Tyrest, his truthful words hurt him. Tyrest continued, “As you already know, I was born in Tyrest. My carrier named me after my birth city-state. He had gone to Kalis and did the same with my spark-brother, but we mainly lived in Tyrest. We had a difficult but humble childhood. Whatever our carrier could find, he gave it us. Despite the adversities, he tried his best to provide us with a happy, healthy, and spiritual upbringing. I know nothing of our sire or other relatives. As far as I was concerned, my family consisted of myself, my carrier, and Kalis.” Tyrest paused, wiping away his tears with his cape.

Xaaron whispered, “You don’t need to tell me what happened next. I already figured it out; the Open Season Massacre.”

Tyrest nodded. His voice breaking, Tyrest muttered, “Our carrier hid us for protection. Then he did a foolish thing; he ran out of our hiding spot to distract those bad mechs…I remember it so vividly. He wanted to lure them away from both of us. I cannot describe…he did not deserve what happened to him. I couldn’t even look away because I was paralyzed in fear!”

Tyrest moved away from the plaque, “This is now his grave. Thanks to Nova, may he rest in peace; he managed to locate my carrier’s remains. Genetic testing was done, as well as other forensic examinations to determine that this was in fact him. Such a shame to have him buried in a place he’s never been to in life, but at least he is close to me. I visit him often. What hurts me the most is what could’ve been if he had lived. I would’ve gotten to know him better and we would've been happy. I was so young and I never knew his name, just ‘Ma’. I know I shouldn’t be ashamed, it’s not my fault but I can’t help it.”

Xaaron wanted to object, but instead he gathered his energy to remain silent. If Tyrest would not have been orphaned like this, he wouldn’t have ever met Nova who sponsored his education, and become the antiwar civil rights activist who helped refugees flee the planet. Not to mention, his accord was the only successful treaty that occurred during the war. The citizens of Tyrest and Kalis wouldn’t have been blessed with political stability. Perhaps, if his carrier had survived his childhood would’ve been satisfactory, despite their poverty. Yet the Great War's causes were beyond Tyrest’s control. They all would’ve ended up becoming innocent victims of the war and still suffered a horrible tragedy. However, Xaaron empathized with Tyrest’s immense grief and pain.

The only thing Xaaron said was, “You know, we have serial numbers that identify us. It’s an old custom dating back to the fifth and final era of the Quintesson occupation.”

“My carrier’s serial number is 99999682,” replied Tyrest, “I saw it on his corpse when I was brought to identify the body. That’s his ‘name’ on the plaque…”

Xaaron wanted to ask him why Tyrest didn’t look up his carrier’s serial number on the database. Then realized it wasn’t a good idea, given the nature of his lineage.  

Tyrest interrupted Xaaron’s train of thought by asking, “Why does everyone I love so dearly end up having such unfortunate outcomes?”

“Does this mean you don’t love me?” asked Xaaron.

“What?!” asked Tyrest, perturbed by the emirate’s question. 

“I’m not dead yet,” replied Xaaron, “Also, who’s to say Nova and Kalis aren’t alive somewhere? Unlike your poor carrier, there’s no proof they are dead…”

“Xaaron, I know you mean well but…,” interjected Tyrest, “…do not play with my emotions. I rather be pleasantly surprised than realize that my false hopes weren’t even real. I know how I feel, Xaaron. Heartbreak is fatal in my current state. But please, I didn’t mean to imply I didn’t love you. It’s far from the truth. I’m so sorry….”

“It’s alright,” whispered Xaaron, “I’m terrible at speaking in a gentle manner. I want you to see there’s no logical basis to any supposed curse you think you might have. You like logic, right? That’s what I was trying to do. I know you love me.” Trying to lighten up his friend’s mood, Xaaron said, “Tell me about your carrier. What better way to honor him, than remembering all the good times you had together.”

Tyrest frowned. It had been so many years, he had trouble remembering. From what he did manage to remember, they were all small, tender moments. Most of them included playing or finding random junk in the streets to gift to his carrier. Tyrest then pulled out a star-shaped plushie from his subspace. He unzipped it and revealed an uglier plushie hidden underneath the nice covering. He told Xaaron that his carrier found two identical plushies in a trash heap and gave it to them as a gift. It was the most valuable gift he had ever received in his childhood and he treasured it. Nova had gifted him the nicer covering as a birthday gift, in an attempt to preserve the fragile plushie. Tyrest then zipped it back in the covering and handed it to Xaaron.

“It was a miracle those terrible mechs who exploited me after I was orphaned didn’t find this and destroy it, like they tried to destroy my self-esteem,” said Tyrest, almost angrily, “Nova rescued me from them and made them pay. For this reason, all abusers like them are punished in the cruelest ways. The punishment itself will not repair the damage done to victims, but at least they get the satisfaction of knowing their abusers have gotten their just desserts.”

Xaaron nodded. He tried his best to hide the fact he was disturbed by Tyrest confusing justice with retribution. He knew he meant well, but this wasn’t ethical to take other matters so personally. Still, Tyrest was the most competent judge he had met, so there wasn’t much reason to complain. They continued their private conversation.

A little while later, Tyrest, Xaaron and the legislator made their way to another garden outside. “Thank you…” said Tyrest to Xaaron, smiling slightly.

“You’re welcome,” replied Xaaron. He was happy his friend was becoming more relaxed around him. Tyrest showed him the different types of plants he had in his garden. There were some legislators there trimming the trees and bushes. “Tyrest, I hope this is not too soon, but how would you like it if I stayed with you even longer?”

Tyrest stopped, “How long, exactly?”

Sensing he may’ve struck a nerve, Xaaron continued, “I don’t know, but I was thinking of moving in with you, to be closer.”

“Xaaron…” said Tyrest with tears running down his face. Though he was touched, he felt conflicted but was unable to express how he felt. Finally, Tyrest continued, “I don’t think the Autobot High Council would approve of your decision. I’m not sure about the Ethics Committee.”

Xaaron let out a hearty laugh, “The Ethics Committee wouldn’t mind, in fact they’d applaud my decision because I’m closer to the confiscated weaponry. They support the Tyrest Accord wholeheartedly. As for the Autobot High Council, it has suffered from the loss of Optimus Prime. Prowl is still around, but he devotes his time helping Bumblebee and really wasn’t part of the council. Tyrest, I am surrounded by incompetent fools and most of them are corrupt! It’s such a pain dealing with them.”

“I know…,” said Tyrest still upset, “…but you are making me reevaluate everything. I thought I had taken all my ties to this world into consideration…but then you. Not just you, Star Saber too. Oh…I just…I just don’t…I have seen the stars! They said the Autobot High Council will do something bad to…I’m not sure if it’s to you or to me. They are planning something foul. With so many things going on and happening nowadays, I am…I am afraid. I knew this joy I have been feeling these past few days was too good to be true.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic!” replied Xaaron, “You have your vast army of legislators who will defend you with their lives. In a few days, Star Saber and his fellow priest friends will return. Your Decepticon mercenaries are here too and you can use them as additional protection. With Primus on our side as well, you’re safe. Your reasons to worry are valid, but it won’t be as bad as you think. Also, what do you mean by ‘ties’?”

Tyrest’s eyes widened. Xaaron looked at him and waited for an explanation, but none came. Tyrest became too frightened to speak further. Taking a deep breath, Xaaron said pointing at some pink flowers, “Okay, but what are these?”

“I don’t know but they are lovely,” replied Tyrest, “they are local flowers and always bloom during this time. They smell so sweet. I’ve tried looking them up online but have never found anything remotely close. What if they are an undiscovered species? If that’s the case, then I can have more things named after me.”

They continued their chat, but Xaaron couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling. Later, Tyrest had gone to take a bath and Xaaron texted his concerns to Star Saber. However, Star Saber never replied. From what he knew, Star Saber was too busy with his companions to answer. The emirate walked over to the chapel and prayed. He had not realized Tyrest’s condition was so severe. He heard someone enter the chapel, it was his legislator. Xaaron motioned with his hand for him to approach.

He whispered to the legislator, “It’s a no-brainer, but your beloved queen is unwell. If those holes aren’t enough proof, then his little slip-up he had is. Do this favor, not just for me but for your queen as well, stop him from doing something senseless. Tell your friends, tell everyone! I’d have a straight-talk with him, but I know he misunderstands at the worst times. I just don’t know what to do. I only want him to feel better, that’s all I want now. How is it fair for this mech who wants peace to not have any for himself?”

The legislator whimpered and left. Xaaron continued to pray in silence. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him and texted Tyrest. A few minutes later, Tyrest arrived at the chapel.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Sit next to this fire,” said Xaaron pointing at the fires of Solus Prime, “you’re feeling cold after that bath.”

Shrugging, Tyrest sat next to the modified barbecue grill. He appeared to get dizzier instead of better. Yet, he seemed to be getting calmer. Sensing the effect of the fire, Tyrest asked, “What is going on?” He curled up in front of the fire. Other legislators entered the room with some pillows and blankets. They bundled up Tyrest before leaving.

Meanwhile, Xaaron pulled out his new tablet and began to type his resignation letter. It was the only valid excuse he could use to justify his permanent stay. It was difficult to word since he didn’t want to expose Tyrest’s plight to the Autobot High Council. Seeing that it was difficult at that moment, he decided to make up an excuse for the Ethics Committee instead. After all, he was also sent by them to investigate Tyrest and thwart any suspicious activities the chief justice was plotting. Staying longer, the emirate thought to do just that. Satisfied with his letter, he emailed it to the Ethics Committee.

To his surprise, they replied promptly and commended his decision. If only the Autobot High Council behaved in such a manner…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask, I never bothered with developing Tyrest's carrier. I saw no reason to develop a dead character who died off-screen long before the story took place. I _did_ develop Kalis but Kalis doesn't appear in this story.
> 
> I'm surprised I even managed to write 40 chapters of this and I didn't even post the entire plot bunny due to some skipping forward, in terms of time. Then writing about the other players involved. But yeah, after all of this there was meant to be an emotional reunion with Kalis, perhaps some day when I have the motivation. :P


	25. Spilled sugar water.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lockdown and his crew finally arrive. Xaaron becomes more concerned about Tyrest's safety and well-being.

    Tyrest sat in his private office reviewing his accord. He noticed a couple of amendments he had no memory of adding. There was a legislator guarding him inside the office. Tyrest signaled the legislator to come closer. The legislator looked at the screen Tyrest was pointing at.

    “Do me a favor, if I’m still working here past 10:30 pm, please pry me off the computer,” said Tyrest, “the accord is fragile. Even adding a random semi-colon can disrupt its balance. Like right now I’m going to delete these strange amendments because they’re too harsh.” Tyrest continued to explain the situation to the legislator. He didn’t want to add anything without a clear mind.

    After making his changes, Tyrest headed to the kitchen to make himself breakfast. It was 5:30 am. He decided to pass by Xaaron’s new room, which was next to his, and peeked inside. Xaaron was curled up with his eyes closed. There were only two reasons Tyrest would check on guests, either he was suspicious of them, or he cared too much about them and wanted to monitor their well-being. Xaaron was the latter. Satisfied that this friend was adjusting, Tyrest made his way down to the kitchen. The legislator returned to his own room to rest. Not wanting to wake up others, Tyrest only turned on the lights to the dimmest setting.

    He decided to help himself to some pumpkin pie. After all, it was his house and therefore his rules. If he wanted to eat something overly sweet for breakfast with little nutritional value, no one was allowed to stop him. He pulled out a knife from a knife block and began to cut himself a thin slice. The kitchen was eerily quiet; the only sounds he heard were his internal mechanisms. Tyrest ate his slice of pie and proceeded to cut himself another slice.

    Without warning, he felt someone rush into the kitchen from the other entrance. Alarmed, Tyrest stood still. Had it been the legislators or Xaaron, they’d have been more considerate. Despite his calmness, he was an anxious individual. Tyrest gripped his knife. He felt as if he was being watched. The undesirable feelings he tried to suppress were beginning to overpower him. But he had to be strong. Any sign of weakness or exhaustion, would lead to his undoing. He felt someone approach him from behind; their aura familiar but unsettling. Unable to control his terror, he turned around and hurled the knife with all his strength. He heard the knife hit the wall and rushed to turn on the lights, only to find that he was in the kitchen all alone.

    He hurried over to the wall he had impaled. He took out the knife and inspected the damage. He turned off the lights and worked to repair the wall. He had to work fast because it was almost 6:00 am and legislators would arrive any moment. He finished putting the finishing touches on the wall and hurried to wash the knife before returning it to the knife block. Just as he was getting ready to put away the pie, a legislator entered the kitchen and turned on the lights. Tyrest clutched the pie and stored it in the refrigerator before leaving. The legislator didn’t seem to notice the repair Tyrest had made to the wall, much to his relief.

    Shaken, Tyrest went back to his room to sleep. He slept for a while, only to wake up with Emirate Xaaron sitting on top of his aft.

    “Get off of me!” Tyrest angrily flapped his wings as Xaaron rolled out of the way.

    “Don’t be a rude host, I just wanted to sit somewhere nice,” said Xaaron with a cheeky grin.

    “There are several chairs in this room!” cried Tyrest, “You’re a _chair_ man! You should know to use a chair like a proper bot.”

    “But none of these chairs are close to you,” said Xaaron.

    “Is it too much work to move a chair?!” asked Tyrest.

    “Work? Heh…I’m practically retired now to think about working,” replied Xaaron, “I just wanted to stop by and tell you good morning.”

    “You sure have an odd way of saying good morning,” scoffed Tyrest.

    Xaaron chuckled and said, “What are we going to do today?”

    “I really didn’t have anything planned, other than my routine revisions to my accord which I did this morning,” said Tyrest as he finally got out of bed. Xaaron helped him make the bed, while Tyrest said, “I did wake up wanting to go exploring nature. This moon has a sea, several forests and some plains. I’ve been everywhere but the far side of the moon and the left sea but I don’t want to go to either of those places.”

    “Why not?” asked Xaaron.

    “The far side of the moon is too dark,” said Tyrest, who didn’t like going anywhere where he’d had difficulty seeing. “The left sea is dangerous, at least from what the legislators tried to tell me. Did you want to go exploring? I know how much you _love_ the outdoors.”

    “Yeah, let’s go!” said Xaaron.

    They didn’t have plans to travel far. They left the house and wandered around the compound. They were accompanied by Xaaron’s legislator and Star Saber’s legislator. Tyrest was still shaken from the hallucination. It was the most vivid one he had in a long time, it almost felt too real. Xaaron could tell something was troubling Tyrest, but was unsure to ask. He didn’t want to make his friend feel like he was prying into his privacy. Tyrest had no plans to tell Xaaron or anyone else what he saw. He didn’t want to give anyone any reason to worry or think something was wrong.

    They decided to sit at a gazebo to enjoy the view. Fortunately, it was a nice cool partly cloudy day. Curious, Xaaron looked around and noticed a pavement tile near the gazebo was separated from the cement. He pointed it out to Tyrest because it was bothering him.

    Annoyed by the emirate’s fussiness, Tyrest said, “I’ll fix it later, just sit down.”

    Small drops of precipitation fell from the sky. Tyrest had no plans on leaving since the gazebo protected them both from the rain. For a moment, he was immersed with tranquility. The low atmospheric pressure combined with the smells of wet leaf and soil, brought back memories of past good times. He bore a slight smile on his face as a single tear ran down the right side of his face.

    “What’s wrong?” asked Xaaron.

    Aware he couldn’t lie to Xaaron, Tyrest replied, “Thinking about things I shouldn’t think about, like that one time my picnic with Nova was ruined when it suddenly began to rain like this. You wouldn’t understand.” Tyrest chuckled and looked away.

    “You’re more naïve than me, I understand more than you’d ever want to know,” said Xaaron.

    “Really?” asked Tyrest, “How so?”

    “You miss your conjunx,” replied Xaaron, “you lament his fate.”

    Tyrest only nodded. Though Xaaron’s reply was oversimplified, he was correct. After a little bit, they resumed their walk. Xaaron saw another house in the distance within the property and asked, “What’s that building for?”

    “That’s where the other legislators live,” replied Tyrest as he came to a halt, “I haven’t been in there in years. The last time I went in was to show them the rooms since they had slept outdoors somewhere. That place is better guarded than my own home. I don’t think we’re allowed to go in there…”

    Xaaron decided to approach, only to be stopped by his legislator. One of the lookouts from that other house spotted them and approached them. The other two legislators assumed a defensive stance. Without warning, the lookout grabbed Tyrest and began to inspect him. He fully extended Tyrest’s wings. He proceeded to manually examine the curvature of Tyrest’s aft. The other legislators quickly pushed the lookout away and guarded Tyrest more aggressively. Though Tyrest was quiet, his eyes reflected his terror; he was paralyzed in fear. The two legislators hurried back to the house carrying Tyrest and Xaaron.

    The legislators petted Tyrest in an attempt to calm him down. Tyrest tried to pretend everything was alright, but he couldn’t. Upset with the turn of events, Xaaron asked, “What in the pits just happened?”

    His legislator grabbed a scratch sheet of paper and drew a simplified map of the property. In Tyrest’s house he drew Tyrest’s head, Xaaron’s head and a generic legislator’s head and the number 15 next to it. In the legislator’s house, he drew another generic legislator’s head wrote the number 96 next to it, followed by a question mark.

    Reviewing the map, Xaaron asked, “So you are saying that about 96 legislators live in that other house?

    The two legislators nodded.

    “Why aren’t we allowed to go in there and why was that one inappropriately touching your queen?” asked Xaaron.

    The legislator stopped to think. He was unable to explain with drawings and wanted to explain with dance. Xaaron pulled out his new tablet and recorded the legislator’s complex dance. Neither he nor Tyrest knew what was going on.

    Tyrest sighed and said, “I don’t know what’s going on but the legislators who live with me don’t want me getting close to the other ones. The other ones don’t seem like they’re bad. We let them move into that spare guest house since I rarely get visitors and they all practically live here. It didn’t seem fair for them to live outdoors while I lived comfortably in my villa.”

    Tyrest explained that when he first arrived in Luna-1 with Nova, Nova kept insisting he get off the ship first. As soon as he did, he was swarmed by the legislators who were only curious about him. They had always liked him from the instant he met them. It was the first time Tyrest felt like the center of attention, and he disliked that feeling.

    However, his anecdote was cut short when he received a call. It was from the Decepticon mercenary. He and his crew were going to arrive within 15 minutes.

    “Excuse me,” said Tyrest as he hurried to fetch the checks while Xaaron followed him.

    The mercenary and his crew received a quarterly salary with the occasional bonus. Tyrest had given each crewmember equal pay. The checks had been written prior to their arrival and Tyrest only needed to date them the day of payment. After he finished dating them, he handed the checks to Xaaron for him to place in the envelopes. Xaaron helped Tyrest write down all of their names on their respective envelopes; Barrage, Chop Shop, Hardshell, Lockdown, Lugnut, Ransack, Venom, and Steve.

    “ES-teh-veh?” asked Xaaron since he had never heard of such a strange name like “Steve” before.

    “Their leader, Lockdown, pronounces it like ‘es-TEEB’, I think,” said Tyrest, “I agree it’s an unusual name.”

    Tyrest got the envelopes and put them inside a larger one, before going to meet up with Lockdown and his crew. Xaaron followed him. He didn’t want to admit he felt protective after witnessing that other legislator’s strange inappropriate behavior.

    Meanwhile, Lockdown and his crew were getting ready to land on Luna-1. It had been a hectic quarter for them. They had traveled to various locations in a short amount of time. Their target kept escaping until they finally trapped him. Frustrated, one of the crewmembers (Barrage) executed the target upon capture. Lockdown was annoyed by this turn of events, but decided it was for the best, since the target was an excellent source of spare parts. Much to Lugnut’s dismay, they picked apart the corpse and took the remains onboard. They then upgraded themselves with the new parts, except for Lugnut.

    Lugnut wanted to have a word with the chief justice about this practice. He found it distasteful and wanted to file a complaint. He always had difficulty bringing himself to do so. He was aware that the chief justice was formerly an Autobot. Lugnut had a strong hatred of Autobots but knew this talk needed to be done. The macabre upgrading practice disturbed him, nonetheless.


	26. A simple word pact.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Star Saber takes his Autobot Code exam and Lockdown gets paid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a reference to the ending song of the US English dub of Space Dandy, called "[Word Pack](https://youtu.be/37QfhZIXJZg)".
> 
> I'm not gonna lie, I turned Lockdown into a corrupted version of Space Dandy for this story and I regret nothing. Actually, I do have one regret and that is the fact I never mentioned anywhere in this story that Lockdown loves green lemons. 

    Star Saber suddenly arrived on Luna-1. His companions decided to stay behind in Vector Sigma since they felt compelled to do maintenance at the site. They planned to return at a later time, but that was still undecided. Star Saber’s arrival was an impulsive one since he didn’t bother to call ahead. He was near the landing docks, and saw a large ship land. Only one person left the ship, it was Lockdown, the black spiky mech Tyrest had been talking to.

    Lockdown spotted Star Saber and said to him, “Good day, you’re new around here aren’t you?” Star Saber nodded and Lockdown continued, “Just a word of warning; watch your mouth and watch your back. The boss is an honest fellow, can’t say the same for the mechs you’ll be dealing with.”

    “Oh…” replied Star Saber, “…I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m not an enforcer. I’m only a priest stationed here. My name is Star Saber.” He held out his hand to the mech.

    Trying to brush off his mistake, Lockdown shook Star Saber’s hand. “My name is Lockdown. Sorry for the assumption. I figured a mech of your size can do a considerable amount of damage. Your name sounds familiar.” Star Saber noticed that there were others inside the ship, before he could ask, Lockdown said, “Most of them don’t know how to behave in front of important individuals. We’ll talk inside.”

    Lockdown led Star Saber to a waiting room. Lockdown took a seat, spreading his legs wide and leaning back. He remembered that Star Saber was with him, that he sat up and closed his legs, but looked uncomfortable. Star Saber got a better look at Lockdown’s face. He wore similar black devotional war paint like Dai Atlas. His impression of Lockdown was that he was probably a religious mech, therefore he made good company.

    “There’s too many pointless rules, you know?” said Lockdown, “Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth it. As a mercenary, working for the chief justice is as clean a job as you can get. A lot of employers just want you to do illegal things or beat others up. We still beat mechs up, but it’s all legal. No need to worry about cops coming after you, because _you’re_ the cop.”

    “Give me an example of a ‘pointless rule’, I don’t understand,” said Star Saber, “the chief justice’s actions are straightforward. There’s always a reason for what he does or orders.”

    “The main one deals with language,” said Lockdown, “I can understand ‘no cursing’ or ‘no swearing’. That sort of language is seen as rude by many. I know a lot of my crewmembers’ language is beyond foul. They mean no disrespect but that’s how they’re accustomed to speaking. But banning slang? That’s…that makes no sense to me. Mechs have their regional words.”

    Star Saber thought about what Lockdown said and asked, “Have you ever talked to him about this? I think your complaint about slang is reasonable.”

    Lockdown chuckled, “That mech won’t even show me his face. That’s another thing I don’t like about him. I don’t trust those who hide behind low definition screens with bad audio quality. Plus, he sends out his beautiful mate, who has nothing to do with any of our negotiations, to give us the paychecks or relay messages. I can’t trust a coward.”

    “Mate?” asked Star Saber, raising an eyebrow.

    “You’ll know when you see him,” replied Lockdown, “he’s this tall green mech with wings and a gold crowned golden helm. I ain’t gonna lie; the first time I saw him, I couldn’t stop thinking about that thick fat aft of his for weeks. It’s the sort of thing that gets my engines revving. Obviously, I’m a gentleman so I keep these things to myself, regardless if he was taken or not. But damn, Primus blessed him with a fine frame like that…” Lockdown shook his head, still in disbelief.

    Star Saber was aware of how image was important to Tyrest. He struggled to fight the urge to correct Lockdown. Instead, Star Saber asked, “Well, what would you do if that green mech _was_ the chief justice? And he was only trying to appear vaguely threatening because he knows others would disrespect him because they found him too attractive?”

    Lockdown paused for a while. He thought about what to say next and whispered, “Pardon my language, but it’s too damned early to frag up my brain like this.” The door opened and Tyrest entered the room holding a stack of envelopes, accompanied by Xaaron. Lockdown saw him, and said, “Good morning, sir.”

    “Good morning,” said Tyrest as he handed Lockdown the envelopes, “please make sure everything is correct.” Unlike other mechs, Tyrest had a certain degree of comfort around Lockdown that he felt no need to fake an accent. (Perhaps it was because Lockdown was a mech of humble origins too.)

    Lockdown swapped his hook hand into a regular hand and opened the unsealed envelopes. He then inspected the checks as Tyrest watched. Every crewmember was accounted for and each one was paid their fair due. Satisfied, Lockdown stored the checks in his subspace.

    “Lockdown, your legs look different,” said Tyrest as he eyed Lockdown.

    “Well, I love my upgrades,” chuckled Lockdown. He reached into his subspace and pulled out a bent Decepticon badge. “This was from that suspect that ended up dying, my apologies.”

    Tyrest took the badge and replied, “That’s alright. As long as he’s not going to be a problem, that’s all that matters. Is there something you want to tell me?”

    “Yes, is it alright if we dock on Luna-1 for a bit?” said Lockdown, “We’ve not received any solicitations for services from any of our other contacts, unless there are other violators we should hunt down.”

    “No, everyone’s behaving in terms of abiding by the Tyrest Accord,” said Tyrest, “your crew is welcome to explore Luna-1, as long as there is no littering or disruptive behavior. You know, like you’ve all done before. Do you have any more questions?”

    Lockdown shook his head and left their presence.

    “Don’t mind him, he is a bit vulgar but he means no disrespect,” said Tyrest.

    Star Saber leaned over and whispered Tyrest, “He thinks you’re the chief justice’s mate.”

    Tyrest burst into laughter, “He is a proud mech and I don’t want to disillusion him with the truth. I rather have him redirect any disgruntlement at the fabricated image than at me. I’m sure he assumed you were my new enforcer or something…”

    Star Saber nodded. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but when am I going to take the Autobot Code exam?”

    “Good question,” replied Tyrest calmly as he realized he had forgotten about it. Used to pretending that everything was running according to plan, Tyrest smiled, “How does 30 minutes from now sound like?”

    “That’s good,” said Star Saber, “Where is it going to be held at?”

    “In that one conference room near the chapel,” replied Tyrest, “just let me get things ready.”

    Xaaron turned to look at Tyrest with bright eyes, “What Autobot Code exam?”

    He followed Tyrest, who hurried away and rushed to organize everything for the exam, as Xaaron struggled to catch up. He explained that Star Saber wanted to become an Autobot.

    Star Saber decided to follow Lockdown and teleported back to the docks and waited for Lockdown’s arrival. Lockdown was surprised to see him again so soon, since he was unaware of Star Saber’s teleportation abilities.

    “I don’t know who that yellow bot was,” said Lockdown, “Do you know? Is he another of the chief justice’s concubines? He’s got that crown-shaped helm too like the green mate we just saw. I heard there’s special bots whose function is exclusively for those recreational services. They’re said to be ‘insatiable’ and supposedly _one_ is a handful, but _two_? What’s up with that? The boss is out of his damned mind.”

    “No, that’s incorrect too,” said Star Saber, “That yellow bot is Emirate Xaaron, chairman of the Autobot High Council. He’s here for business.” Tyrest never mentioned anything about hiding Xaaron’s identity.

    “Oh…how long is he going to stay here?” asked Lockdown, trying to play off the fact he referred to Xaaron as a concubine, “I don’t mean to sound rude, but one of my crewmembers hates Autobots and I don’t want any trouble.”

    “I don’t know, probably a long time,” replied Star Saber. He received a text message, the exam was ready. “Excuse me; I have some important matters to attend.” Star Saber left Lockdown’s presence. As soon as he left, Steve, a large black and purple triple changer came over to speak with Lockdown. Lockdown turned around and asked, “Yes?”

    “What did the chief justice say about staying?” asked Steve.

    “His messenger said we could as long as we don’t trash anything,” replied Lockdown, “help me pass out the checks.” Lockdown handed Steve his check as they went back to the ship.

    Meanwhile, Star Saber had teleported into the testing room and sat at the desk. Tyrest passed him the exam and whispered the answers. The test began and Star Saber tried to write down what he remembered. Xaaron entered the room and saw Star Saber working on the exam. Afterwards, Star Saber reviewed the exam and changed some answers since he had misheard several of them. He handed the exam to Tyrest who, without looking at it, gave it to Xaaron to grade.

    Star Saber left the room and waited anxiously. He was having regrets over letting Tyrest give him the answers. He felt he didn’t earn any passing grade he made, despite Tyrest telling him he was qualified and didn’t need to study.

    Meanwhile, Xaaron looked over the test. He was impressed with the results, yet something felt a bit strange. “Tyrest…” purred Xaaron, “…you wouldn’t have happened to help Star Saber with this exam, would you?”

    “I helped him study and prepare for the exam, if that’s what you mean,” said Tyrest nonchalantly, “he is a good listener.”

    Xaaron wasn’t a fool. Star Saber scored an exceptionally high score in a very difficult test. (Deadlock, who now goes by the name of Drift, passed the exam after two tries. The first time, he failed and the second time, he barely managed to pass. This was what most bots made on average. However, most bots also studied from an abridged version of the Autobot code. Those who studied the entire Autobot Code got the better grades, but there was no way he was able to study adequately in that short amount of time.)

    Taking a deep breath, Xaaron showed Tyrest the test. Tyrest looked at it and glanced over at Xaaron who had a stern look on his face. Tyrest was taken aback by the high score. He had only given Star Saber just _enough_ correct answers to pass the test without it being anywhere near borderline passing. Xaaron noticed Tyrest’s genuine surprise and was left confused. He knew Tyrest was too clever to give Star Saber all the right answers.

    “Wow…he really is a good listener,” nodded Tyrest as he returned the test to Xaaron. He really had no idea how Star Saber managed to get some of the difficult questions correct. Difficult questions in which Tyrest purposely gave the wrong answer.

    Xaaron put his hand on Tyrest’s hand. (Either to prove a point or the fact he’s been dying to hold hands with him.) “Tyrest, this mech is a good guesser,” said Xaaron, “however, that won’t erase my suspicions that you helped him cheat. What do you have against the Autobot Code that makes you have gross disregard towards it?”

    “How dare you?!” cried Tyrest.

    “Don’t fake your outrage!” said Xaaron, “You hate the Autobot Code as much as you hate Iacon. Which, I don’t understand. Iacon is a wonderful city and you’ve lived there many years. The Autobot Code, at least with these post-Zeta revisions, is perfect.”

    “Iaconians discriminate anyone who doesn’t talk like or act like them,” said Tyrest, “How easily did you forget that I had to speak with that false snobbish accent for many years?”

    “No one says that!” cried Xaaron.

    “Nova said I had to or else they’d get suspicious about my rescue and force him to take me back,” said Tyrest. “Like I’ve not heard the snide remarks you Iaconians mutter to yourselves when you all encounter foreigners with their native mannerisms.”

    Xaaron pushed the exam aside. He didn’t want to tear it up in rage. “Tyrest you’re purer than me, when it comes to type and function. There is no legal reason for Nova to have sent you back. You are very rare and mechs like you are basically ‘companions’ of nobility. Hell, that’s how I managed to get an exemption to get into law school. All because of the genetics that dictated my alt-mode and function, but mainly function! It’s the reason why you were able to choose whatever career you wanted as long as you fulfilled your functional duties.”

    “Leave Nova out of this!” snapped Tyrest, losing his cool.

    “That is the truth!” yelled Xaaron, “Yes, he did good things for you, but he wasn’t perfect. You’ve got to acknowledge this. No one is perfect.” Not wanting to upset Tyrest further, he added, “This is why I can’t believe Star Saber passed this test!” He wanted to tell Tyrest that Nova had failed him in many ways too but he didn’t want to worsen the situation.

    Tyrest said nothing. Though he was hurt that Xaaron accused his conjunx of being prejudiced, he was relieved that Xaaron seemed to have believed his lie about not helping Star Saber. However, he wasn’t sure if Xaaron was angry at him too.

    They heard a knock on the door.

    “May I come in?” asked Star Saber, who was disturbed by the arguing.

    He was allowed to come in. His presence seemed to calm both Tyrest and Xaaron. They discussed the results of the test. Star Saber denied he received Tyrest’s help, but then he had always been a good guesser.


	27. No mech left behind.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long-brewing problem is uncovered.

    Star Saber was still excited about passing his exam with an exceptional score. During the test, he couldn’t understand most of the answers Tyrest gave him because of his Tyrestan accent. After saying his prayer, Star Saber spent most of the testing time making educated guesses after answering them all with what he thought Tyrest said. After all, Tyrest had reassured him that he knew the basics of what it meant to be an Autobot. For this reason, Star Saber assumed he passed because he’s Primus’ chosen and with Primus on his side, he could not fail.

    He wanted to celebrate but his friends were still at Vector Sigma. He decided to postpone his branding ceremony until they returned. He texted his companions to tell them about passing the Autobot Code exam. Suddenly, he received a call from Braver and answered.

    “Congratulations Star Saber!” cried Braver, “We will return tomorrow, Primus willing. The maintenance is complete. Yes, we figured out how to reach the deceased in the water and they have received their proper burial.”

    “That’s wonderful,” replied Star Saber, “Did you discover anything else?”

    “Yes,” said Braver, “The site and the Sea of Rust were once protected by a powerful city-guardian named ‘Slammoth’.  However, they were one of the first to fall in the final war against the Quintessons for independence, during the fifth era of their occupation. We told Galaxy Shuttle to ask Road Caesar when he sees him again. Road Caesar should know since he used to be a city-guardian like Slammoth.”

    “Is there anything else you learned?” asked Star Saber, who was aware of Braver’s interests in science, whether it is natural, theoretical, or social science.

    “Yes, but it’s all purely speculative at this point,” replied Braver. He paused and tried to organize his thoughts then said, “It also turns out that the sect that once worshipped in Vector Sigma and built the temple surrounding it was the one that heavily influenced the culture of the locals. It’s evident in the stargazing and ritualistic smoking. I find the latter fascinating, since Vector Sigma would return the spark of a mech who was ‘high’ since reuniting someone like that to the Allspark was…distasteful. It seems the natives had an affinity with exploiting technicalities. At least that’s what the hieroglyphs we found in the temple implied…Still, it’s better to take our preliminary hypothesis lightly.”

    “No…that sounds about right,” said Star Saber, “I’ve interacted with two locals, though one is an immigrant who was immersed in their culture. You’ve met him, remember Beachcomber? The mech who gave us the map? Also, the chief justice is from there too and all he enjoys exploiting technicalities like a fun hobby.”

    “Interesting,” said Braver, “Oh, it seems I’m needed again. It was nice speaking with you Supreme Commander, goodbye.” Braver hung up.

    Star Saber was still excited and he went to tell his legislator about the exam.

    Meanwhile, it was not going well for Lockdown. Barrage, Chop Shop, Hardshell, Ransack, and Venom had not returned from their exploration hike into the Luna-1 wilderness. Lockdown had tried calling his crewmates but they never answered. They always had a habit of keeping in contact with him, which made Lockdown fear the worst. Though he was strict with everyone, he cared for them deeply. He spoke to Steve and Lugnut about the situation. Steve wanted to go search for them, but Lugnut wanted to wait. His view was optimistic and assumed the wireless signal was bad. Besides, they were excellent trackers who carried maps, it was impossible for them to get lost.

    Unsure of the situation and having a sickening gut-feeling, Lockdown left the ship and wandered within Tyrest’s compound. Star Saber was outside meditating, when he sensed Lockdown approach. Still excited about his grade, he went to go tell Lockdown.

    “I still cannot believe I got such a high score in the Autobot Code exam!” cried Star Saber enthusiastically to Lockdown.

    Seeing that Star Saber was a serious mech, his bright demeanor was certainly saying something. But Lockdown was still worried about his missing crewmembers that he was unable to share Star Saber’s excitement.

    “That’s nice,” replied Lockdown with a half-hearted smile.

    Seeing that Lockdown was upset, Star Saber asked, “What’s wrong?”

    “Nothing,” said Lockdown, “It’s just that Autobot things don’t really appeal to me because I’m a Decepticon.”

    “Something else is on your mind,” said Star Saber as he crossed his arms, “Something serious, for you to express it unsubtly.”

    Lockdown moved closer to Star Saber and whispered, “Five of my crewmembers have vanished. My crew is a crew of eight. Last I heard, they said they were going to explore this moon and they had maps. They are responsible and hardy warriors. My gut feeling from this situation is unpleasant. I don’t want to tell the chief justice yet, besides it's been a few hours. I’m sure he would blame and not care to search. After all, he warned us that there are traps in this moon…” Lockdown backed away from Star Saber, “I was wondering…if you could help me…”

    “Sure thing,” replied Star Saber. He pulled out his phone and asked, “What are their phone numbers?”

    “I have tried calling them and they’ve never answered,” replied Lockdown, “but if you insist…” Lockdown gave them their phone numbers.

    Star Saber typed them on his phone on a tracking app installed on the phone. The app generated coordinates for Vemon’s phone but not the others. It was several kliks away from the compound, near the sea. Star Saber showed the results of his search to Lockdown.

    “What the fragging hell did you do?” asked Lockdown, who was confused and impressed at the same time.

    “My companion, Braver, found this app on our phones when he was tinkering with them,” said Star Saber, “I think it’s pretty handy, you know where everyone is. Though I can see why it can be disturbing too, invasion of privacy…” Star Saber checked his phone. Seeing that he had nothing planned at the moment, he added, “Shall we go?”

    “Now?” asked Lockdown, “Hold on, I need to get my remaining crew to help us. Wait here.”

    Lockdown left to retrieve his remaining crewmembers. Meanwhile, Star Saber teleported to retrieve the legislator assigned to him. Star Saber and the legislator waited for Lockdown and the others to return. Lockdown returned with Lugnut and Steve and introduced them to Star Saber.

    Star Saber checked the app and Venom’s coordinates had not changed. Lockdown had brought custom hoverboards with him to ease in the search and lent one to Star Saber. He didn’t know Star Saber would bring someone with him and didn’t bring another spare. However, the legislator pulled out his own hoverboard from his subspace.

    They headed out towards the coordinates. The legislator suddenly made a jerky movement halfway to the destination. The others stopped.

    “What’s wrong?” asked Star Saber.

    The legislator got off his hoverboard and began to dance. He took a gamble as he had no other way of explaining what was wrong.

    “The _Forsworn_?” asked Lockdown suddenly.

    Seeing that Lockdown understood his moves, the legislator repeated his dance. Lockdown got off his hoverboard and danced with him as a reply. It seemed like they were having an elaborate dance-off.

    Steve whispered to Star Saber, “Our captain is a genius. I’ve been with him since the start and I can only ‘read’ insecticon dancing, while he can read and perform it. We’ve started trying to learn it at the same time, ever since Hardshell first joined us. Yeah, the other missing crewmembers are all insecticons too…”

    “Steve!” snapped Lockdown, thinking Steve was talking about something irrelevant, “He says we’re in dangerous territory. There are hostile insecticons, like him, in the area and it is likely they have attacked the others. He advised us to head back, but I refuse to return without answers.” Lockdown glanced at the legislator, “I’m sorry, but I must find them no matter what.”

    They continued on their route, now armed. They came across a clearing near a large saltwater lake. The area was calm. He looked around and saw that there were signs of a struggle on the site. His crewmembers had defended themselves and it looked as if they were cornered. There was no evidence of their bodies anywhere. Star Saber pulled out his phone and it said Venom’s phone was nearby. They searched the clearing, until Lugnut found the phone. The phone was undamaged. Lugnut handed the phone to Lockdown, who let out a sigh before handing it over to Star Saber.

    Star Saber unlocked the phone and played back from a secret recording device installed into it. Star Saber didn’t know about this until Braver hacked into their phones to disable this feature when he tinkered with it. Lockdown and the others didn’t know about it either and were upset. Star Saber played back the recent recording of conversations.

    Venom spoke in Primal Vernacular with a heavy insecticon accent. He made a couple of vulgar jokes which the others laughed at. Star Saber, of course, was disappointed. Without warning, Venom screamed and began to shoot. It sounded like he and the others were ambushed by creatures that made frightening roars. The screaming, gunfire and roars ceased abruptly. The recording ended.

    Becoming paler, Steve asked Star Saber, “What kind of creatures live in these parts?”

    “I’ve only seen small creatures,” said Star Saber, “the only large beings here, that I’ve seen have been the legislators.” He pointed at his legislator, “They are these golden insecticons that live in the compound. But I’ve never heard them roar like that before. Perhaps that’s a trait of these hostile 'Forsworn' he warned us about…” Star Saber paused and drew his sword.

    The bounty hunters drew their weapons as well. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a dozen legislators. They looked different than the ones at the compound. They were duller in color, pointier and had their red eyes opened. Star Saber’s legislator attempted to communicate with them and they roared at him as they charged the party. It seemed like more legislators were coming out of the woods than they could handle.

    “Grab on to me!” shouted Star Saber.

    Steve, Lockdown, Lugnut and the legislator embraced Star Saber who teleported them back to the compound. They let him go as soon as they realized what he had done. Annoyed, Lugnut said to Star Saber, “What the…? Had I known you were going to run away, I’d have never grabbed on!”

    “If you’d never grabbed on, they’d have torn you apart,” replied Star Saber, “we were outnumbered and insufficiently armed. Besides, you should know how it is with the closed-eyed types. Once they open their eyes, things will get serious.”

    Lugnut didn’t reply. Star Saber was right.

    “Next time we’ll get revenge on those feral insecticons,” said Steve as he put his hand on Lugnut’s shoulder.

    Upset, Lugnut pushed Steve’s hand away and headed back to their ship.

    Steve shook his head, “As proud as he is, he should know that safety is more important than pride. That was close; I didn’t think we’d be able to escape all that. They had us surrounded.”

    “I think it’s about time we told the chief justice about your missing crewmembers,” said Star Saber to Lockdown, “Steve is correct. Safety is more important than pride. There were no signs of bloodshed in the area; it’s possible that they are only captured.”

    Lockdown was hurt by Star Saber’s words too. He wanted to resolve the matter privately, but it was unlikely. They required assistance and additional support.

    The legislator began to dance at Lockdown. Lockdown looked at him and said, “You make a good point but you have to help me convince the chief justice. Got that?”

    The legislator nodded and they all headed towards the villa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason I called the rogues/feral insecticons "Forsworn" is because it's obviously another Skyrim reference that made its way into this story. Much like the in-game faction, they harbour resentment towards "invaders". Or at least that's their purpose in this story. They are also obsessed with their old culture.
> 
> "Slammoth" was one of the possible names for the fan-built combiner that was from the Sea of Rust. In fact, it was one of my favorites but the other one I liked "Victorion" won. In this case, Slammoth and Victorion are the same person, but Vicky grew up and changed her name. :P She doesn't appear or has a speaking role in this story.


	28. The capricious queen.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrest feels unsafe around the legislators since the fragile trust between them was tarnished.

    Xaaron had just finished consoling Tyrest when he noticed the others approach the villa from the window. Something about the Decepticons disgusted Xaaron and he said, “Those mechs are awful.”

    “Oh please, they can’t be as bad as your _beloved_ Wreckers,” Tyrest rolled his eyes.

    Xaaron gasped, “How dare you?! They are the ones who take on the world and climb all the mountains! I trust in them. They are heroes that pull all the _deus ex machina_ victories.”

    Tyrest burst into laughter, “You only say that because you’ve slept with Impactor. Did he fill you with nonsense along with his seed while he pollinated you?”

    Appalled, Xaaron stacked a couple of chairs and climbed on them to be at eye-level with Tyrest, “What are these indecencies you are saying?”

    Tyrest raised an eyebrow, “Like I haven’t heard you say worse…”

    “It doesn’t matter, you shouldn’t be saying those things,” said Xaaron.

    “You shouldn’t be trying to change the subject,” replied Tyrest, “Those Wreckers have committed atrocities. They’ve violated your precious Autobot Code many times. Have you forgotten that your _beloved_ Impactor murdered helpless prisoners in cold blood?”

    “But they were Decepticons!” cried Xaaron.

    “That doesn’t stop them from being sentient beings that have a right to freedom like your Autobot slogan says,” scoffed Tyrest.

    Xaaron wanted to argue with Tyrest but wasn’t in the mood to make Tyrest cry. He didn’t care if the chief justice had a valid point; no one was allowed to badmouth Impactor in his presence. Gathering most of his strength, Xaaron tried his best to hold back his ever-growing pile of snide remarks. However, this came with a price. Soon Xaaron became nauseous since his body wanted to let out the remarks. So he ran to the nearest waste bin to vomit.

    Tyrest shook his head, thinking the emirate had become sick of his own nonsense. He then carried his friend to the bathroom and helped him clean up. By the time, they had finished Star Saber called asking to speak with Tyrest. Tyrest hurried to meet with Star Saber as Xaaron followed him.

    Lockdown and his crew tried their best to appear calm as Star Saber spoke, “We require immediate assistance.”

    Tyrest crossed his arms and asked, “With what?”

    “Most of my crew has been captured by rogue insecticons called the ‘Forsworn’,” said Lockdown, “They almost captured us too, if Star Saber hadn’t teleported us all away…”

    Before Lockdown had a chance to finish, a couple of legislators who were doing housekeeping knocked over a large brass vase. Its loud clatter interrupted Lockdown’s message and spooked Xaaron.

    Tyrest wasn’t naïve. He knew that was no accident because the legislators would never be so careless. Thinking fast, Tyrest hurried out the room since he could longer be around anyone who’d hide things from him. When everyone had gotten settled again, they realized Tyrest was gone. (All of this occurred in less than half a minute.)

    The legislators realized what they had done and hurried out of the room, looking frantically for their queen.

    Lockdown shook his head and decided to text Tyrest the rest of his message. He then addressed his fellow mercenaries, “This is one reason I was a bit wary about having you fellas meet the chief justice’s mate. Those prey-types frighten easily. But don’t worry, I’ve sent the chief justice a message.”

    “But aren’t you a prey-type too?” asked Lugnut.

    “Mechs can change,” replied Lockdown as he licked his canines, assessing their sharpness.

    Other legislators could be heard scurrying around the house. Lockdown raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s what they get for interrupting me.”

    Xaaron’s legislator and Star Saber’s legislator, who were still in the room, began to dance to each other. Lockdown’s smug grin quickly turned into a concerned frown. Lockdown got out his phone and asked Star Saber, “What’s that phone hack you showed us, that we used to find Venom’s phone? Maybe we can find Tyrest like this?”

    “What did they say?” asked Xaaron crossing his arms.

    Lockdown was taken aback by the question. Not many knew he was fluent in insecticon, unless he stated he was or saw him dance. Figuring Xaaron had been observing him, he said, “They said the others cannot hear the queen’s light-resonance spark and neither can they. I don’t know how much you know about insecticons, but losing the queen is shameful…is that even the right word for it? It’s stronger than ‘disgraceful’.”

    Lockdown appeared concerned and disgusted at once; filled with many regrets. Before Xaaron could even ask, he said, “I don’t think I can work for a mech who uses his defenseless mate in order to manipulate a massive colony of insecticons. Brainwashing doesn’t sit right with me, no matter what.”

    “What are you talking about?” asked Xaaron, “The chief justice is widowed. He’s the one that just left the room because the legislators frightened him.” Xaaron had forgotten about Tyrest’s charade. When he remembered, it was too late but he already stopped giving a damn. After all, Tyrest had said Decepticons were sentient beings too and they didn’t deserve to be lied to.

    Lockdown took a step back and looked as if he was reevaluating his entire life. Steve put his hand on his shoulder and said, “If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t have guessed he was the chief justice either. Law-types don’t look like they belong in a harem.” Steve looked at Xaaron and added, “My bad.”

    Xaaron sighed, “That’s…alright. As a QIU, I’m used to those kinds of comments; although most mechs tend to be subtle about it.”

    “Pardon my ignorance, but what’s a QIU?” asked Lugnut.

    “QIU is an acronym for ‘Quintesson Interface Unit’,” replied Xaaron, “That’s right; those horrible Quintessons bred Cybertronians explicitly to satisfy their lustful urges.”

    Lugnut was visibly repulsed, as well as the others.

    Xaaron continued, “Seeing that you are a very, very loyal Decepticon, I’m going to make one thing clear. All QIUs belong in the upper class due to our rarity. But we are a class of slaves; pleasurable toys for the rich and powerful. Our bloodlines are tainted by assault because of horrible individuals exploiting our accursed disorder; coital paralysis. You don’t know what it is like to be in that position. Unable to escape from an assailant’s grasp, simply because such stimulation renders you helpless and willpower alone won't help you fight-off this instinct. The more ‘pure-blooded’ ones are more defenseless since they don’t have any built-in artillery. And then there are those who think that being a QIU is a privilege.”

    Lugnut paused. He then replied, “When our great and mighty leader, Lord Megatron, rules supreme over Cybertron, he would free you all and have those who’ve hurt you punished in the cruelest of ways.” Lugnut had difficulty expressing his outrage; he never knew such a thing existed. As far as he was concerned, Megatron’s glorious revolution would turn Cybertron into a peaceful tyrannical utopia.

    Xaaron rolled his eyes, realizing his attempt at swaying Lugnut away from the Decepticon cause failed. In fact, he somehow managed to make Lugnut _more_ Decepticon. Xaaron knew better than to not reference Megatron directly. (Megatron was very anti-functionist and believed being a QIU _was_ a privilege since QIUs benefited from their high social status. As far as Xaaron was concerned, Megatron was ignorant of the rampant domestic abuse, among other things.)

    “I found him,” said Star Saber, as he showed Lockdown the phone, “I apologize for taking so long, but the tracking device didn’t want to work on the chief justice for some reason. He is hiding in a room upstairs.”

    They all headed towards the room.

    Meanwhile, Tyrest sat in the cold dark room with the lights turned off. He felt so foolish to think the legislators could be trusted and was ashamed. He had read Lockdown’s message about some legislators kidnapping his crewmembers, but was too shaken to answer. The claim made him feel more distrust towards the legislators. Upset, he wanted to drill into his plating but he knew the sound would give away his location. Tyrest picked up his staff he carried with him and looked at it. He regretted not recharging it earlier.

    Suddenly, the door swung open and Star Saber entered the room. Tyrest clutched his staff, clicking some buttons and cried, “How did you find me?!”

    Fearing having to confess the revelation of the hack, Star Saber said calmly, “Primus told me.” (In a way, he was not wrong. He had prayed to Primus in silence before Lockdown mentioned the hack.)

    Tyrest was speechless. Star Saber helped him up and walked with him out of the room. Tyrest didn’t even want to look at his legislators. Xaaron’s legislator and Star Saber’s legislator were hurt. Without looking at Lockdown, Tyrest said, “There is no way you can be helped.” He left with Xaaron.

    Once they had left the corridor, Lugnut asked, “What in the depths of Unicron’s core is going on?”

    “One disaster after another,” replied Steve, “Wanting to protect their queen, they ended up proving to him they were not trustworthy. I’m sure he was gonna order them to help us, but seeing that their loyalty was fake…”

    The two legislators aggressively flared their thrusters.

    “…Then why the hell did those fraggers act that way?” asked Lockdown in an annoyed tone at the legislators, “When you’re loyal to someone, you never hide scrap behind their back.” The legislators began to dance in front of Lockdown. Lockdown crossed his arms as he observed the conversation.

    According to the legislators, there was a nasty dispute over Tyrest. This dispute had been going on ever since Tyrest set foot on Luna-1 and encountered the legislators. Tyrest had a “light-resonance spark”, a common trait among QIUs and breeding colony queens. The “light-resonance” of the spark is described as a gentle chime. This sound instinctively compels any insecticon within hearing distance to protect a mech who emits this sound.

    The legislators’ colony had become highly xenophobic after “demons” attacked them and left. The fact that Tyrest was a foreigner, divided the colony. Most of them became enchanted with Tyrest. They adored him. A minority of the colony loathed his presence. This caused a rift in the colony which drove the minority deep into the woods. The majority that had accepted Tyrest had tried their best to keep this a secret from him. They knew Tyrest, despite having a calm exterior, was an anxious mech. Had he known about these mechs that loathed him so much, he would leave and never return.

    Star Saber motioned Lockdown and the rest to enter a meeting room to discuss the issue. There, Lockdown translated what the legislators had told him.

    After getting an understanding of the situation, Star Saber said, “I may not know about your customs, but I do know about honor. The only way to make amends is to find Lockdown’s missing crewmembers and tell your queen the truth. And we need all the help we can get.”

    Xaaron’s legislator interrupted and danced. He begged them not to hurt the minority that was referred to as the Forsworn. The legislator insisted that would make things worse since that type of fighting would sadden Tyrest since he was antiwar.

    “What should we do then?” asked Star Saber.

    The legislators insisted on having a meeting with the rest of the allied legislators to work for a solution. Lockdown and his crew agreed to the terms. After all, they were reasonable.

    Meanwhile, Xaaron was trying to console Tyrest once more. Fortunately, Tyrest was now more comfortable about venting his sorrows to Xaaron. Tyrest was heartbroken by the legislators and fearful for his life. He had shown Xaaron the text message Lockdown had sent him. Xaaron struggled to convince Tyrest that the legislators meant no harm, but it was difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The QIUs, first explicitly mentioned at the end of [Chapter 21](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765/chapters/16278995) and implied even earlier. This was one of the original concepts I had come up with back when I thought this story was going to be nothing but porn. I'm surprised I somehow managed to salvage this particular concept. It was meant to explain why Tyrest had no apparent use, but he obviously did. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> QIUs come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but their most distinguishing feature is their crown-shaped helm. (A similarity I noticed in Tyrest’s and Xaaron’s canon designs. Though I could've said it was indicative of legal/justice class, but whatever.) The QIUs were bred to be helpless and easy to apprehend to facilitate interface. However, this (coital paralysis) is an unfortunate defense-mechanism caused by a malfuctioning battle computer. (Tyrest appears fortunate to have never experienced such a reaction, especially from his conjunx.)  
> 
> It is the main reason Tyrest doesn’t want to know about his carrier's background. Tyrest is aware of how “pure” he is and fears he was conceived through rape, which would worsen his guilt over his carrier’s death. One of his parents was definitely a QIU, but it is unknown which one. Usually, it’s the carrier since QIUs tend to be in the receiving end, but not always, since anyone can be submissive or dominant in any position, depending on their preference.
> 
> It is implied that Xaaron is the only currently-living QIU in his family and received this gene from both parents, since his ancestors were QIUs, and it tends to be a recessive gene. This is the reason Xaaron never felt like a warrior, despite having artillery and being a tankformer. His temperament is that of a QIU; eagerness to comfort others, easily attached, and very flirty. However, he needed to prove this in order to get his exemption. The test to determine if he was a QIU was basically to fondle him and see how he would react to it. If he didn't struggle during the test (though he could scream) he passed it by proving that his coital paralysis exists, which exclusively occurs in QIUs. He knows what it's like to be in such a position and for that reason, he sees mechs who want QIUs as horrible sexual predators. Though many, like Lockdown, may be unaware of the nature of the coital paralysis. They assume QIUs are just hypersexual and since they don't struggle, their reaction is misinterpreted as consent.
> 
> The comparison between breeding colony queens and QIUs comes from the fact that the Quintessons bred breeding colony queens with each other to create the QIUs. The same genes that makes a breeding colony queen (with the light-resonance spark) are exaggerated in QIUs. This is why Tyrest is seen as a queen, despite being far removed, genetically, to be considered an insecticon but still had the light-resonance spark. 
> 
> [[Originally, I called the QIUs what they were, "Quintesson Sex Slaves", but I decided to change it. In this AU, "QIU" is considered offensive thing to say to anyone because it's an awful reminder of how their oppressors abused and mistreated them. It's also regarded as a weakness, since they're docile and nonviolent. For this reason, they're all vaguely described as “sensitive” or “peculiar” etc.]]
> 
>  ***EDIT** : QIUs have an unfortunate tendency to ignore the bad things their mates/masters do, but only if these individuals showed "kindness" to them. They often repaid this kindness with devotion and loyalty. (In most cases, QIUs are seen as turncoats since they quickly adapt to a new mate, but then they were probably treated poorly by their previous mate and are glad they are gone.)
> 
> In other words, this is why Tyrest cannot see Nova as problematic. This is also why Xaaron was replaced as Impactor's attorney. It was assumed he would most likely commit fraud to keep Impactor out of prison. The last thing Tyrest wanted was to see Xaaron to ruin his own his reputation and lose everything he worked so hard to accomplish over some "violent mech". To spare Xaaron's integrity, they blamed sex instead of this possible compulsion to commit fraud out of love. (However, this did ignore how strongly Xaaron holds his convictions.) But if Xaaron would've found tangible proof that Nova was indeed awful, he'd do his best to separate Tyrest from him. It’s the least he could do.


	29. The forged alliance.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A truce is settled between two groups of [former] enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Forged" alliances because alliances are never constructed cold. ;)

    Sitting on a couch, Xaaron decided to scoot closer to Tyrest and asked him, “How were you able to hide from the legislators?”

    Seeing that he was unable to lie to Xaaron, Tyrest said, “Many years ago, I discovered that sparks emit faint sounds. If you remember, I told you about that poor minibot enforcer who got crushed. I heard his spark and that’s how I knew he was still alive. His spark made a different sound than mine. For the legislators, their spark also makes a different sound than mine. I’m not sure if this is part of a spark-signature, but then I’m not a medic. So knowing this, I made my staff play the inverse sound so it cancels out the sound my spark makes, thus making me invisible.”

    “Sparks have a sound?” asked Xaaron.

    “Yes,” replied Tyrest, “Don’t tell me you can’t hear it? But then that’s what you get for listening to music that’s too loud!”

    “Hey!” cried Xaaron, “I know you’re a judge but don’t judge me!”

    Before Tyrest had a chance to answer, his phone rang. It was from Blacker, so Tyrest answered it, “Yes?”

    “Oh hello, Star Saber told us to call you when we were ready to be bridged back to Luna-1,” said Blacker.

    Not wanting to appear rude to his guests due to his increasing fear, Tyrest replied, “Text me your coordinates for the space bridge.” He looked at Xaaron, “See? I cannot afford to be enthralled by fear. There is much that needs to be done.”

    Tyrest walked out of the room and hurried to the space bridge. Xaaron followed him. Tyrest bridged back the Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle, all of whom were beaming with excitement.

    “How was it?” asked Xaaron.

    “It was beautiful,” replied Blacker who carried a large box, “It felt good to do the maintenance, as well as complete the pilgrimage. I also heard about Star Saber passing that exam. That is wonderful.” Blacker then placed the box on the ground and opened it. He pulled out several books and handed them to Tyrest.

    “We used those passports you gave us to visit the city-states,” said Blacker, “we’ve brought back some good books to help you with your religious education.” He pulled out a sticky note and placed it on one of the books. “That’s to know which book to read first. Like always, if you have any questions regarding the material, please let us know.”

    Tyrest looked at the books, they were all brand-new. “How much do I owe you?”

    “They are gifts,” replied Braver.

    “Thank you…” said Tyrest, who was genuinely surprised. The sudden gift seemed to have improved his bad mood.

    Tyrest helped them carry their gear to the chapel. He insisted because the Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle were his guests. When they arrived, Tyrest helped them unpack, while Xaaron sat in the corner and observed.

    Laster installed a proper reservoir for the Fires of Solus Prime and carefully transferred them with Blacker’s assistance. As they worked, Braver decided to track down Star Saber. They had brought gifts for him too. When everything was settled, they decided to go look for Star Saber. Tyrest wanted to stay behind and start reading but didn’t want to be left alone. He ended up following the others until they arrived at the arena.

    “It seems Star Saber is training,” said Blacker, “wonderful!”

    The arena was packed with legislators. Tyrest, still wary of them, wanted to flee but Xaaron grabbed a hold of his hand.  It was oddly comforting. (Despite the fact Xaaron couldn’t do anything to protect Tyrest because he was smaller and weaker.) The legislators sensed Tyrest’s arrival but didn’t turn to stare at him out of courtesy. Even though they didn’t look at him, the atmosphere of the arena had become more tranquil.

    Yet, the tranquility didn’t last very long. Galaxy Shuttle spotted Lockdown and his crew. He pulled out binoculars and handed them to his fellow Brainmasters. The Brainmasters gasped and headed down towards the arena with their weapons drawn. Tyrest tried to follow them but they all outran him. Yet, that didn’t dissuade him.

    Star Saber drew his sword and stood in front of the mercenaries. The Brainmasters stopped and the arena became quiet. “What is going on that you’ve suddenly come to interrupt our meeting in such a hostile manner?” asked Star Saber.

    Blacker paused, he looked so betrayed. “Star Saber, you weren’t there, but those mechs you were with…they attacked New Crystal city when they allied themselves with these weird green scaly organics. They hurt poor little Wing.”

    “Wing?” asked Star Saber. He had fond memories of the young cheerful bot, who reminded him of himself and his friends when they were his age. Star Saber turned to face Lockdown, “Is this true? Did your crew attack my friends?”

    “We didn’t want to attack,” said Steve, who decided to speak on behalf of Lockdown, to give him time to rest his voice, “All we wanted was Deadlock. We allied ourselves with those organics, since our crew would be outnumbered by your resistance. Your friend was injured because of your refusal to hand over Deadlock.”

    (In retrospect, Steve’s words were somewhat true. Lockdown’s crew had been hired by Turmoil to hunt down Deadlock, the former Decepticon now known as Drift. Megatron had sent them a message wanting for them to bring back Deadlock alive since he was an invaluable member to the cause.  However, Steve neglected to mention that the crew agreed to team up with the organics since they wanted to salvage the corpses of the New Crystal City inhabitants for upgrades.)

    “Harboring a criminal is an offense, but…,” Star Saber was conflicted. He tried his best to hold back his rage. The news of Wing’s fate triggered the immense hatred he felt towards unbelievers. To think that an innocent mech he knew suffered similarly to how he did many years ago.

    Lugnut was unaware of the nature situation since he had joined afterwards. As far as he knew, Megatron suspected Lockdown helped Drift escape but that wasn’t the case, so he was stuck with him. Lugnut drew his gun, sensing that Star Saber was close to unleashing a powerful attack. Lugnut had been in enough battles to see it coming.

    “I will not allow this here,” said Tyrest in a calmly as he arrived. He was forcing himself to be assertive, despite the fact he wanted to flee. (Large, angry mechs frightened him.) “Take your grudges and leave at once, all of you! I have tried my best to keep Luna-1 as well as the two city-states under my domain, peaceful for the sake of their inhabitants. These legislators are already dealing with their own problems and they don’t need your old feud to worsen it.”

    Seeing that Tyrest had a point, Star Saber sheathed his sword. He looked at Tyrest and said, “My apologies.”

    The Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle sheathed their swords too. Trying to save face, Lockdown motioned to Steve and Lugnut to put away their weapons too. Seeing that the situation was calm, Tyrest said, “Now that you’ve proven that you can behave, you can stay. I presume you were in the middle of a meeting to discuss your next course of action in regards to your missing crewmembers?”

    “Yes,” replied Star Saber.

    He explained that they decided to ambush the stronghold of the Forsworn. Based on previous data they had collected, their home-range was by the sea, presumably near a cove. Lockdown and Steve had experience with that type of terrain, since their native homeland was like that. Their strategy was to corner the Forsworn and force them to hand over the crewmembers. As they spoke, Braver and Laster exited the arena.

    “I object!” cried Blacker, “You all tried to do that to us when you all wanted to catch Drift, but it didn’t work out.”

    “He’s got a point,” replied Lugnut, who shot a glance at Lockdown and Steve, “This reminds me of an early mission that Lord Megatron led to help rescue his former-friend Orion Pax out of prison…”

    Xaaron held down his arm. He wanted to object, since it was Orion Pax who led this mission to free Megatron who was wrongfully imprisoned. Not wanting to see his friend in distress, Tyrest gave him a hug, to both comfort him and to keep him from objecting. Even though Tyrest was against public displays of affection, he couldn’t think of another method to restrain Xaaron.

    Lugnut explained that Megatron’s party disguised themselves as guards. With the help of Soundwave and Blaster, two mechs who had the gift of weaponizing sound, they managed to subdue the guards with lullabies, and took their place. They then armed the prisoners, before escaping in a discreet manner into the night.

    “…That’s brilliant,” said Star Saber, “Maybe we can lure them out with a recording of the queen’s spark?”

    Xaaron’s legislator tapped Star Saber on the shoulder and began to dance.

    “He is saying this strategy will not work,” said Steve.

    Just then, Braver and Laster returned holding a box. They pulled out several headphones and handed them to the others, except the legislators. Star Saber and Blacker turned theirs on, and assisted the others.

    Suddenly, they heard indistinct murmuring coming from the bleachers where the legislators were sitting. When they realized what was going on, Braver said, “I figured these would help diminish the language barrier. Remind me to upgrade them when I get the chance, they are so old…”

    Star Saber heard his legislator talking to Xaaron’s legislator. “How can we tell them that we can’t use sound against them?”

    “Why can’t we use sound against them?” asked Tyrest.

    All the legislators gathered there gasped. They were speechless because their queen understood them. Their speaking voice was at such a low frequency, it was practically inaudible to everyone else but them. After getting over the shock, another legislator sitting on the bleachers shouted, “It’s because they damaged their audial receptors! According to them, they rather stay deaf as not to hear your spark chime!”

    The Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle were appalled. Self-inflicted mutilation was against their beliefs. After getting over the shock, they continued to discuss the situation. One of the legislators brought with him another legislator. His head was badly damaged.

    “He’s a former-Forsworn,” said the mech who brought him over, “He had fallen into quicksand and the others left him there. However, we doubt it was intentional since they were unable to hear his cries for help. Fortunately, some of us were on patrol and rescued him, because that’s what you do for a fallen comrade. Grateful, he joined us.”

    He chose to speak in dance since he was aware his pronunciation was affected. The other legislators helped translate in order to give Lockdown and Steve a break. According to the former-Forsworn, the Forsworn were planning on breaking into Tyrest’s compound to kidnap him. They had no intentions to kill him. That’s why they planned to brainwash him instead using stolen technology Tyrest had confiscated. They decided to make replicas to replace the originals they stole. (The theft had occurred during the Aequitas Trials since Tyrest was away and security was temporarily decreased.)

    “Why do they want to brainwash the queen?” asked Star Saber.

    “They think he is an ally of these demons that attacked us long ago,” replied Star Saber’s legislator, “We’ve spent enough time around him to know, he was never affiliated with them. Besides, their invasion happened many years prior to the queen’s arrival. There’s no sense in discussing this with them. They think all foreigners are allies of these demons. But they want to use foreigners that understand them in order to infiltrate the compound. They’re aware that only a select few with special permission are allowed entrance here.”

    They continued their discussions. They decided to strike during the day and stand guard at night, since nighttime was the most vulnerable time for them. As a result, Lockdown and his remaining crew members, along with half of the legislators present, decided to go get some sleep. So they would be well-rested for their graveyard shift.


	30. The pinnacle of war.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Security is increased due to the rumors of an impending attack.

    Though everything was beginning to settle, they had to partake in an agonizing waiting game. Meanwhile, Star Saber and his companions gathered in the chapel to discuss important manners in private. Star Saber asked his legislator to not join in. The legislator wasn’t bothered by the request. In fact, he took it with great stride since he was eager to speak to his beloved queen.

    Their meeting began promptly. Star Saber looked at his companions and gave them all a reassuring smile. “As Supreme Commander, my first order is for you all to relinquish your Great Swords.”

    “What?!” cried the Brainmasters, particularly Blacker the lieutenant commander.

    “Those are a symbol of our faith!” protested Blacker, “Only the most faithful mechs can wield a Great Sword.”

    “You forget those ‘Great’ Swords, also draw their energy from one’s spark,” said Star Saber, “Our spark is the most precious gift Primus has bestowed upon us, and to squander it away for any mundane battle? I find them distasteful for this reason and refuse to use one. I certainly would not want any of you, to defile Primus’ gift of life. For this reason, they are forbidden.”

    Laster and Braver handed over their Great Swords to Star Saber, who hung them beside the altar. He could see some of the spark residue inside of them and saw no reason to destroy them. Blacker reluctantly complied and handed over his Great Sword to Star Saber, who also hung it by the altar. (In reality, the main reason Star Saber didn’t like Great Swords was because Dai Atlas liked them. He was petty like that.)

    “What are we going to use now?” asked Blacker.

    Thinking fast, Star Saber replied, “We’ll make our own swords or ask the chief justice to give us some old weapons he has from the evidence locker. It’s perfectly legal. He mentioned he discarded some of them after a certain date to have more room in the evidence locker.”

    “Why does he have so many weapons?” asked Laster.

    “It’s because of these laws he wrote that ban technology export between us and other species,” said Star Saber, “that’s why he has confiscated things. To him, it is better that this technology sit in a closet gathering dust than be used against the innocent during war.” Star Saber saw that Braver and Galaxy Shuttle raised their hands. “Yes, Braver?”

    “Do you think he’d let us inspect this technology?” asked Braver, “I’d love to study it.”

    “I don’t know,” said Star Saber. He then directed his attention to Galaxy Shuttle.

    “Can we use guns?” asked Galaxy Shuttle.

    “Of course!” replied Star Saber, “If Primus didn’t want us to use guns, he wouldn’t have made it where some of us are born with built-in artillery. Banning guns doesn’t eliminate violence which can manifest itself in other ways. While it does reduce violence, what is committed is more atrocious.”

    In New Crystal City, firearms were forbidden since they were seen as a threat to peace…at least, according to pacifists like Dai Atlas. However, sword-fighting was encouraged. Star Saber never cared much for guns and enjoyed sword-fighting, so he never had a problem with this particular law.

    They continued to discuss rules for their order, as well as formulating a teaching plan for the chief justice in regards to his religious education. Their decision to incorporate the predominant beliefs of the Sea of Rust into the teaching plan was unanimous. But they had much to learn themselves about it, since it was different. The Sea of Rust’s beliefs had a strong emphasis on peace through non-violence and herbal meditation, whereas the Circle of Light had a strong emphasis on attaining peace through swordsmanship.

    After formulating their initial lesson plan, Galaxy Shuttle looked over it and said, “I don’t think Dai Atlas knew about this, or else he’d be all over it…well maybe not the drugs.”

    “I don’t know…” said Blacker, “…he loved drinking tea, so maybe he’d consume it like that. But then he always saw substances that affect your perception and cognition as bad. He was a very clean mech. Compared to him, I’m a drunkard and I don’t even remember the last time I drank.”

    Meanwhile, Tyrest donned his headphones and went to speak with the legislators that worked inside his villa. He wanted to get to know them better. There was not much to learn from them, since he managed to figure them out almost everything by being around them for several years.

    Curious, Tyrest asked, “Why is that house where the others live forbidden?”

    “They’re a bit traditionalist,” replied one of the legislators, “And somehow they expect you to understand our rough customs. We just don’t want them to hurt you, even though they have no intentions of doing so.”

    “But aren’t I the queen?” asked Tyrest, “Why would they hurt me, if I’m considered one?”

    “Yes, the heart of the colony,” mumbled another legislator, “the breeding colony queen.”

    Tyrest’s eyes widened and he took off his headphones. He was better off not knowing but it was too late. He had heard enough. The legislators shrugged. After all, it was the truth and that was why they all loved him so much.

    The afternoon was quiet. Xaaron had gone to take a nap, while the legislators were busy doing their chores and Lockdown’s crew was asleep. The Brainmasters along with Galaxy Shuttle, where busy teaching Tyrest about religion. Tyrest was overwhelmed, since there were too many teachers at once. However, they were teaching him at a slow pace since they wanted to consolidate everything. Unlike Star Saber, Braver assigned Tyrest homework. Tyrest had a paper due in three weeks. Unlike the others, Braver had a strict grading method. However, he only wanted to push his students, so they could improve.

    Lockdown and his crew joined them for dinner. Lockdown was visibly upset that he refused to eat and make eye-contact with the others at the table. Instead, he asked Tyrest, without looking at him, “Can I just have a glass of that brown juice? I forget what it’s called. It’s really good.”

    Tyrest said something to a legislator, who went to the kitchen to fetch Lockdown his drink. The legislator returned with two drinks. He handed one to Lockdown and the other to Tyrest, who chugged it down happily and asked for another serving.

    Lockdown was about to drink his serving but said to Lugnut, “You should try this brown juice its good.” Lockdown poured a bit in Lugnut’s empty glass, before drinking down the rest.

    The juice was a light brown color and opaque. Lugnut stared at it. “What’s it made out of?”

    “Tamarind,” replied Tyrest, “it’s a bean that grows on a tree.”

    Lugnut sampled it and shrugged. It had a tart taste to it, but the sugar added seemed to lessen the intensity of the flavor. He wasn’t a fan of tart flavors but he knew Lockdown was.

    “You need to give me that recipe of that traditional potato dish of your compatriots,” said Tyrest.

    Lockdown finished his tamarind juice and asked, “Which potato dish?”

    Tyrest’s eyes widened. He barely remembered the dish. All he knew was that it was a soft potato dish that was very spicy. He tried it once when Lockdown had offered him some, but he couldn’t remember the name. Feeling a bit tired, he shrugged, saying, “I don’t remember, but it was spicy and savory. I just know that Xaaron would love it if it had meat in it…and curry. I just want to give him something he would like, since he doesn’t like what I like to eat.”

    Xaaron put down his spoon and began searching for this dish on his phone. He was aware that Tyrest didn’t like him being on his phone during dinner, but Tyrest appeared a bit weary. Since he sat next to Steve, he showed him the results. Steve pointed at the recipe and Xaaron looked at the ingredients. To him, they just needed fewer vegetables.

    Meanwhile, Laster finished his stew and servings of plantain chips. He watched as Star Saber continued to binge eat in front of him. Concerned he gasped, “Star Saber, control yourself! If you keep eating like that, you won’t be able to fit into the V-Star.”

    Star Saber stopped and looked at Laster, “I may be strong in battle, but my weakness is delicious food like this.” Star Saber got plantain chip and ate it.

    Laster looked at Tyrest, “Why haven’t you stopped him?”

    Tyrest chuckled, “If he didn’t listen to me when I told him not to go to his pilgrimage immediately after his arrival, how was he going to listen to me if I told him to eat less?”

    “He’s got a point, Laster,” said Blacker.

    The Brainmasters excused themselves and left the dining room. Lockdown, who wasn’t hungry, gave his plate to Lugnut. Lugnut ate it eagerly, since the food was good. Afterwards, the mercenaries left to patrol the compound, while Tyrest and Xaaron retreated to a small waiting area near their rooms.

    Tyrest sat on a large burger-shaped cushion, while Xaaron reclined on a luxurious hammock and crossed his leg. These were among Tyrest’s favorite fine furnishings but they all looked too silly to be shown to guests, none of which every ventured anywhere close to Tyrest’s room.

    “This is the best room in the house because it’s not even a real room,” said Xaaron, “I still haven’t written that letter the Autobot High Council telling them I want to step down.”

    Yawning, Tyrest said, “Let me write it for you.”

    “No, you’ll probably complain to them for false advertising because none of them are ‘high’,” replied Xaaron sarcastically.

    “That’s right, you how I much I object to false advertising,” chuckled Tyrest. He paused again to yawn. “If I don’t get off this burger, I’m going to fall asleep on it. I don’t even understand why. I might not look like it but I’m terrified about this supposed kidnapping.”

    “But it’s late though,” said Xaaron as he checked his phone. It had barely turned to 9:41 pm.

    “True,” said Tyrest, “Primus willing, I’ll wake up refreshed tomorrow and write you a real letter those mechas are never going to forget.”

    “You don’t have to do that,” said Xaaron, “I appreciate the offer. I truly do, but…”

    Tyrest’s eyes were closed and he was barely moving.

    Xaaron was about to get up from his seat, when his legislator entered the waiting area. He scooped up from the chief justice from burger cushion and took him to his room to get him ready for bed. Xaaron uncrossed his leg and crossed the other one as he pulled out his tablet. He decided to look up things online.

    The emirate wasn’t sleepy since he napped for most of the afternoon. He saw another legislator enter Tyrest’s room, as his legislator left and sat on a large pillow next to Xaaron’s hammock. Xaaron sighed and put on his headphones which he had been charging earlier. He whispered to the legislator, “The kidnapping is going down tonight, isn’t it?”

    The legislator looked surprised and nodded, saying, “How did you know?”

    “I’m not naïve,” whispered Xaaron, “You all drugged my friend during dinner and that’s why he’s so sleepy. Normally, such an act would boil my energon due to the immense rage I feel because it’s been done to a loved one. But I understand it needed to be done in order to lessen his distress.”

    “I apologize for forgetting to tell you,” replied his legislator, “you were still asleep after the meeting and I got caught up with other things.”

    “Don’t worry about it;” whispered Xaaron, “I’m aware I won’t be able to sleep tonight, so help me with my online shopping. I want to buy gifts for my colleagues and something sweet for your queen.”

    The legislator took Xaaron’s tablet and connected it to a TV hanging on the wall across from them. They scrolled through the catalog picking out things and discussing moving Xaaron’s belongings from Iacon to Luna-1.


	31. The battle at twilight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joining forces, Star Saber and his allies fight off the aggressive kidnappers.

    Meanwhile, Lockdown and his crew, equipped with the headphones patrolled the property. The majority of the legislators had recharged during the day in order to increase security at night. According the former-Forsworn, the kidnapping was meant to occur at night since almost everyone was asleep. For this reason, many volunteered to patrol at night instead of the planned “half”. The former-Forsworn decided to patrol at night. Though he was unable to detect sounds, he could detect electromagnetic disturbances. Their sensors increased in sensitivity after their audial receptors were damaged.

    As the others patrolled the area, the Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle decided to sit by the Fires of Solus Prime and recharge themselves as they waited in anticipation. Since the night sky was visible through the windows, they had practiced a bit of stargazing. Their findings revealed that the Forsworn were in fact planning on attacking on this particular night. However, the exact time was not specified.

    “Perhaps it’s because of who I am, but I find this topic of stargazing quite fascinating,” said Galaxy Shuttle, “I wish I had known about it sooner, when I spent my youth contemplating over the teachings of the Thirteen Primes in the solitude of space.”

    “It’s not too late to learn,” said Laster, “just because we are elders, doesn’t mean we know everything. We will always learn something new until the day our spark is extinguished and I say this as a mech who knows many things.”

    Blacker reclined back, trying to control his fidgety movements caused by the anticipation of a battled, “Laster, since you’re the one who figured out this stargazing more than the rest of us, what do the stars say about those ‘demons’ that are the cause of all this?”

    Laster looked out of the window using Braver’s telescope. He had difficulty reading the stars, since he was still unfamiliar with reading them. “I hope I’ve not misinterpreted anything, but it says these demons _were_ real. And even to this day, they hold a major influence, albeit they operate in secrecy.” Laster looked away from the telescope and cross-referenced one of the stargazing textbooks. He went to look through the telescope again and said, “It says Luna-1 is a fertile moon, rich in energy and ores; mainly due to the abundance of fuel apples. And that’s what appealed to the demons when they first arrived.”

    Star Saber remained silent. He contemplated on the Avatar of Primus’ message that was given to him the first time he went to Vector Sigma. He told him it was his mission to protect Tyrest from the visible and invisible forces that were harmful. However, others were going to be the ones to rescue him. Now, when the hour was at hand, Star Saber was reunited with his companions and the mercenary team which worked for Tyrest had arrived on Luna-1. He had a feeling that those the Avatar of Primus referred to weren’t the legislators. Everything seemed to be coming to fruition. For this reason, Star Saber was convinced they wouldn’t fail. Like the Avatar of Primus had told him, events could be altered for the better or worse.

    Several hours had passed; emerging from the thick jungle, the missing crewmembers, accompanied by the Forsworn approached the compound. It was nearly 1:30 am. They decided to split up into groups of five, one for each crewmember since they had access to the compound. The crewmembers entering the property would not trigger any alarms, making the kidnapping more discreet. After all, they had permission to be there. When they all arrived at the five entrances, they all decided to enter at once. This was an attempt to overwhelm any guards who spotted them. However, they were not aware that their arrival was expected. The silent alarm went off, as soon as the crewmembers entered their passwords, and the guards scrambled to the entrances.

    Steve transformed into his flight-mode to survey the flight from above and drop bombs on intruders, if needed. However, his mission was to track down the movement of the invaders using his infra-red cameras. They were a fraction in comparison to the forces that awaited them.

    The legislators and the Forsworn began to fight with each other. The Forsworn were no match for the legislators since they were protected by their electrum coating. The Forsworn had no such advantage. Still, the legislators didn’t want to hurt the Forsworn and attempted to restrain them instead of ripping them to pieces. This didn’t work as well as they had hoped and they started bombing each other anyway.

    In the chaos, Hardshell managed to sneak away from his captors and desperately began to search for the queen to warn him. He snuck into the villa, only to be confronted by Lugnut. He and Lugnut had, had a rough relationship. Hardshell wanted to warn him, but he had forgotten how to speak. Instead, he began to dance, aware that Lugnut would not understand him but he was desperate and took that chance.

    Lugnut messaged Lockdown and said to Hardshell, “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

    Lockdown arrived and Lugnut headed back inside to warn everyone. Hardshell danced to him and Lockdown said, handing him a small handgun, “I believe and trust you, but don’t worry, we know.”

    The loud explosions woke up Xaaron, who transformed into a tank and headed out. His legislator followed him as both were prepared to confront the intruders. The legislator picked up Xaaron and used him as a rocket-launcher. Xaaron was a surprisingly powerful tank, despite his size. Both of them were shot at by the Forsworn. Since both were coated with electrum they were impervious to those attacks and continued to shoot.

    The Forsworn relentlessly pushed deeper into the compound, towards the villa. They had not expected as much resistance as they did. It was too late to retreat into the jungle and they couldn’t afford to return to their base and endanger the others. The attacks woke up the Brainmasters, who joined in the battle. They had no plans to guard at night, since they were skeptical about the attack taking place. But they were wrong.

    Blacker shouted, “Strength, Intelligence, and Skill; Unite!”

    Blacker, Braver, and Laster combined into Road Caesar and attacked the Forsworn. The Forsworn were no match for such a large, powerful mech. He picked up two Forsworns and started beating the others with them. Road Caesar had more powerful attacks, but he refrained from using them since they were potentially fatal.

    Star Saber teleported towards the missing crewmembers, capturing them, and teleporting them into the jail to get them away from the danger. He finally located Hardshell, but Lockdown said, “He is fighting with us.” Star Saber nodded and helped them defend.

    Within two hours, the battle was over. The Forsworn were all badly injured and taken to the clinic upon capture. The legislators were upset about injuring their brethren, but they had no choice. They worked to stabilize them and repair their injuries.

    Lockdown took Hardshell inside the villa and performed a neuro assessment on him. Hardshell appeared to have gone mute from the shock. Lockdown pulled out a pen equipped with a sedative and injected him with it. Lockdown transformed his right hand into a saw and began to operate on Hardshell in the lobby of the villa. Lugnut heard the sounds of the saw and ran to the lobby to see Lockdown in action. Lockdown manually reset Hardshell’s language chips before closing him back up and injecting him with the antidote of the sedative.

    “Oww…” said Hardshell as he reached over to touch his incision site. Realizing his voice was back, he said, “Captain…I’m…”

    “Don’t worry about it, right now we need to check on the others;” said Lockdown, “Star Saber took them down to the jail to restrain them.”

    Hardshell shook his head, “Please be gentle with them…the things they did to us…The others don’t remember, but I do. Their brainwashing weapon didn’t work on me.”

    They headed to the prison where the other crewmembers were detained. They were like wild caged beasts. Their compound eyes filled with hatred and resolve to complete their mission. Familiar faces did little to calm their ire. In fact, the familiar faces had become unfamiliar. Lugnut, who was generally annoyed by the insecticons couldn’t help but feel shocked. They were not the mechs he worked alongside with.

    Meanwhile, Xaaron and his legislator hurried to the jail where the insecticon mercenaries were detained.  He suspected that the weapon used to brainwash the mercenaries was the prototype of one he was familiar with. Xaaron shook his head, “I knew it.”

    “What?” asked Lockdown, who was upset about the situation.

    “The weapon used was likely the predecessor of the nudge gun,” replied Xaaron, “the nudge gun overwrites memories.” Seeing that Hardshell was unaffected, Xaaron asked, “You there, have you ever experienced any traumatic head injuries, what about the others?”

    “Yeah,” nodded Hardshell, “I got shot in the face but I don’t think the others have, why?”

    “The nudge gun only works on brains that have never had or have fully recovered from injuries,” replied Xaaron, “That’s probably the reason it didn’t work on you. But you do remember the false memory they tried to implant you, right?”

    “Yes,” replied Hardshell, “some slaggin’ nonsense about Lockdown, Lugnut, and Steve, kidnapping us and forcing us to capture other helpless insecticons. Makes no damned sense because Lugnut was the last to join us and we all respect each other. What are you doing?”

    Xaaron had pulled out his nudge gun and began to set it. Xaaron paused, “Um…I’m going to need some factual information on how you ‘cons met each other. Let’s start with this gentleman over here.” Xaaron pointed at Barrage.

    “He and Venom were kicked out of their colony for suspicion of treason, however it was slander,” replied Lockdown, “Supposedly they were going to overthrow the queen and take over. But then these lies were spread by their enemies and the others believed it. Barrage and Venom wondered around until we found them on a random asteroid.” Lockdown continued to retell their various anecdotes as Xaaron write them down.  

    When Lockdown finished, Xaaron signaled to the others to temporarily distract Barrage. Xaaron then pulled the trigger on Barrage when he got a clear shot and knocked him out. Since it was the same for Venom, he shot him the same way too.

    Just then, Barrage woke up and asked, “Why the frag am I in jail? Scrap! I’m sorry. I’ll never leave my dishes unwashed again!” There appeared to be no ill-effects from the nudge gun and Barrage was released. They then informed him of what occurred and how they tried to heal him.

    Venom woke up too and he too got an explanation. Chop Shop and Ransack were the last two remaining. However, Xaaron had run out of charges.

    “My nudge gun only contains two charges,” replied Xaaron, “and it takes several hours for them to recharge. Normally, such weapons don’t have this ability but my son, Grapple, fixed it to where it recharges with my body heat.”

    Lockdown was disappointed, but at least it gave him time to think about Chop Shop’s and Ransack’s history. A couple of legislators came down asking to speak with Lockdown.

    “What is it?” asked Lockdown.

    The legislators spoke since they saw Lockdown wearing the headphones, but the battery had run out. But Barrage overheard them and said, “They say they want you to use your medical abilities on a particular injured Forsworn.”

    “No!” snapped Lockdown, “They kidnapped my crew and attacked the rest of us!”

    “C’mon boss,” said Venom, whose plea shocked Lockdown.

    Lugnut said, “I’m sure if you help them, chief justice is going to pay you for your services.”

    Barrage and Hardshell nodded.   Seeing that his crew was all in agreement, Lockdown went with the legislators to see the patient. As they hurried to the clinic Xaaron asked, “Is he a doctor, by any chance?”

    “Yeah,” said Lugnut, “he’s our medic. But he doesn’t have a license because the school screwed him over. They just know because they remember Lockdown talking about himself earlier when we were on patrol.”

    The Forsworn patient was already placed in a lithotomy position on one of the beds. Lockdown hurried to assess him. After the quick assessment, Lockdown said to the legislators, “He’s got a severe GCP and requires surgery,” Without looking at Xaaron and the others, he said, “This is going to take me a while. You all go back; I’ll catch with you all later.”

    The other legislators that were working as medics hurried to get the surgical equipment ready. Xaaron was troubled by the fact that all the medics on duty were unlicensed. (The legislators were simply folk-healers.) Lockdown anesthetized the Forsworn.

    The others left and Xaaron managed to catch a glimpse at the Forsworn’s pelvic area. The gestational chamber was coming out of the Forsworn’s valve. (That’s why the condition was called a Gestational Chamber Prolapse or GCP for short.) Xaaron covered his eyes, since the sight horrified him. But it was in vain, he had seen too much.

    Barrage saw Xaaron’s reaction and asked, “What’s wrong?”

    Xaaron explained what he saw and added, “One of the Forsworn’s injuries unnerved me.”

    They then decided to go their separate ways. Xaaron and his legislator went into the chapel and Star Saber’s companions already there. Xaaron sat next to them. Seeing that he was distressed, Blacker asked, “What’s wrong?”

    “I saw a Forsworn’s gestational chamber coming out,” said Xaaron, “that part is supposed to stay inside! I’m not squeamish about medical things, but that…? I can’t imagine the pain. This is horrible, but at least he’s receiving treatment right now.”

    “Good,” said Blacker, “you know what? Let’s pray for him so the surgery is a success.”

    The group gathered together and prayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gestational Chamber Prolapse (or GCP) is based on the real-life condition known as uterine prolapse.
> 
> Yes, these Transformers in my AU reproduce sexually and each individual is able to impregnate or get pregnant, it depends on who is on the giving or receiving end. After the gestation period is over, they give birth to a shell-less egg which is basically the newborn still inside the placenta. This egg is fragile and kept in a cool and dark environment. The newborn remains in this egg until they run out of their food reserves, and then they hatch. If the egg is popped prematurely, the newborn may have problems with their ventilation system and easily become malnourished. Or the sudden trauma of the rupture might prove fatal, if the newborn is weak-enough. Either way, they're also called "hatchlings" at this point.
> 
> They're also a bit like furries, in the sense they're all different sorts of animals but still somehow the same species that can reproduce with each others with no apparent problems. The furry aspect is most noticeable, in this case, when during their infancy. Some have larvae, others have pups, kits, cubs, chicks or fry, etc. However, these are taken as cultural or regional terms for babies.
> 
> And yeah, I never really have headacanoned as humans. They're basically armored space ~~furries~~ robotic aliens. But then in this whole fic, they're all over the place. One minute they're robots and the next minute they're like half-human/half-creature furries. But either way, they're never actual humans because not once are they referred to as "people" in this story. It's all meant to be confusing and ambiguous.


	32. The cooperative component.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The counterattack is launched.

    Star Saber was busy assisting the legislators in detaining the Forsworn. They were the ones who had referred the one with the GCP to the clinic. Though it was cruel, they had disabled the Forsworns’ artillery. The least injured were incarcerated and awaiting trial. The others were recovering in the clinic.

    A couple of hours later, Tyrest woke up refreshed. He was oblivious to the battle which caused thousands in property damage. He looked at his wall clock. It was barely 6:46 am. The door creaked open. A legislator walked in holding a bowl containing a reasonable serving of whitish spicy custard. He handed Tyrest the bowl and a spoon. Tyrest ate his custard; he had become accustomed to it, despite being put off by its pungent smell. He smiled at the legislator and said, “Thank you and good morning.”

    The legislator smiled and waited for him to finish. Tyrest got the headphones the Brainmasters had given him and put them on. He asked the legislator, “What’s this I’m eating?”

    “Royal jelly,” replied the Legislator, “its rich in nitrogen and other minerals. It’s served only to breeding colony queens to enhance their fertility.”

    Tyrest’s eyes widened. With an uneasy chuckle, Tyrest said, “I’m flattered. I mean…I’ve always wanted to have a sparkling. But…I…I don’t think I can have a sparkling with someone who isn’t Nova. That thought alone makes me uncomfortable.”

    “We respect your decision,” replied the legislator as he took Tyrest’s bowl. “I can’t say the same for the traditionalists. They expect you to somehow understand our cultural norms. To them, your mate relinquished his rights to you with his prolonged leave.”

    Offended, Tyrest asked, “ _Excuse you_?”

    The legislator waved his finger at Tyrest, “ _Tsk_. _Tsk_. _Tsk_. That attitude is unbecoming of a breeding colony queen, at least to them. They expect you to be entirely obedient, submissive, and accepting of your fate. We don’t agree with that antiquated custom or want you to become subjected to it. Unfortunately, this matter has further divided us.”

    Tyrest frowned.

    “Do not be upset,” said the legislator, “it’s not your fault. I hope that someday they will see that you have your advanced diplomatic customs which complement our peaceful traditions. Most foreigners we’ve encountered are cruel and violent, which makes the xenophobic Forsworn more resentful. It is their fault they have an ignorant understanding of peace. They believe that all must have the same mentality in order to attain it.” The legislator put a blanket around Tyrest’s chest before leaving the room.

    Tyrest thought about what the legislator had said for several minutes. A little while later, he left his room, taking his staff along. He checked on Xaaron, who wasn’t in his room. Tyrest found it odd since Xaaron would still be asleep. He was unaware that Xaaron had participated in the battle. Tyrest went down to the chapel and was surprised to find the emirate there. Xaaron asked, “Did you sleep well?”

    “Of course,” said Tyrest, “it’s been the first time in years I woke up so refreshed. I had a feeling that, that kidnapping was going to happen last night but yet…” Tyrest shrugged.

    “It did happen last night,” said Star Saber, “but we stopped them before they had a chance to approach the villa. We detained everyone involved and rescued Lockdown’s missing crew. There were various injuries but no fatalities. All that is left is to engage in a counterattack.”

    Tyrest seemed uneasy. “I know it is wishful thinking but I would’ve preferred signing a treaty with them. I don’t want this to become an all-out war. This is the main reason I left Cybertron in the first place. I wanted to avoid living in a combat zone. Yet, I’m aware my preference this is unrealistic.”

    Xaaron felt his nudge gun vibrate, signaling to him it was fully charged. He left the room and went to seek out Lockdown. Tyrest noticed him leave but thought nothing of it.

    Star Saber asked, “Suppose the opportunity of signing a treaty with their leader was realistic, what would you like in it?”

    “I don’t want to come off as selfish, but I don’t want to get evicted from here,” said Tyrest, “I have nowhere to go. I would also want him to legitimize the ownership of his territory. That way, he can legally challenge any invaders and prevent bloodshed. But I know that’s impossible. These legislators seem to think written laws are ‘nonsense’.”

    Star Saber’s legislator gasped. Though the colony generally felt that way, they didn’t want Tyrest to find out. Meanwhile, Xaaron and Lockdown corrected Chop Shop’s and Ransack’s memories.

    Afterwards, Xaaron asked, “How was that Forsworn patient doing?”

    “He tolerated the procedure well and I tried to fix their audial receptors, on the side,” replied Lockdown, “Not sure if that worked. I only refurbished them with what he had left. He may have hearing problems, but is no longer entirely deaf as before. If it works, I’ll try it on that allied Forsworn later.”

    “So…when are we going to kick some aft?” asked Ransack.

    “Not sure,” said Lockdown, “we’ve not met with the others to confirm. But right now, I can’t join. There’s lots of injuries that need treatment.”

    “I understand,” replied Ransack, “Chop Shop, you’re staying with him, right?”

    “Of course…” Chop Shop nodded. He was also fascinated by surgery and was tutored by Lockdown. He often re-read Lockdown’s old medical textbooks in his spare time. In fact, he was also a major enabler when it came to upgrades.

    Lockdown said to Chop Shop, “I think it’s better if you joined in with the counterattack. They could use someone with your skills.”

    “I understand,” said Chop Shop.

    Lockdown was aware that Chop Shop was a bit of a kleptomaniac. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble for stealing expensive equipment from the clinic. He led the other two insecticons back to his ship. Reunited, they all planned a counterattack.

    After everyone was well-rested, they held a conference to plan their counterattack. The chief justice was not present. Star Saber and his companions presented their strategy which involved ground-bridging to the cave where the Forsworn used as their headquarters. From the data they collected, the cave was located about a two-day walk from the compound. Their plan was simply to attack and overwhelm the colony. Lockdown’s strategy was similar, but it involved threatening the Forsworn into giving them directions and then attacking. Since the location was confirmed, there was no need to threaten anyone. Merging their strategies into one, they decided to make their move.

    The emirate wanted to join, but he remembered how upset Tyrest got when he left for the pilgrimage. In the end, Xaaron decided to stay behind along with Lockdown who had mentioned beforehand he was going to join the counterattack later. Other legislators and Galaxy Shuttle stayed behind too, as guards.

    Due to the circumstances, Tyrest opened his evidence locker and armed his legislators with experimental weapons. He only trusted them with it, since they were the only ones who weren’t vengeful. They all ground-bridged to the entrance of the cave and it was unguarded, so they entered with caution.

    Entering the cave, they heard the faint cries of a sparkling. It was a newborn, to be specific, since the cry was so high-pitched. They decided to locate the source of the cries, with precaution. Upon hearing them approach, a small white sparkling came out from behind a boulder, dragging himself towards them in desperation. The sparkling was dull-eyed and exhausted.

    Without thinking twice, Ransack hurried and scooped him up. The sparkling rooted near Ransack’s chassis, only to cry louder. The insecticons were more concerned about the sparkling. His little frame was not strong-enough to endure prolonged motion and he was unattended in an unsafe location.

    “Can you give him to me?” asked Star Saber.

    Ransack handed the sparkling over to Star Saber. Star Saber then teleported with the sparkling back to the clinic. He knocked on the door and Lockdown answered it. Lockdown saw the newborn and said, “I knew it!”

    Lockdown took the sparkling. He connected him to an IV and treated the sparkling’s injuries. Not wanting to waste any time, Star Saber teleported back to the cave. Lockdown called Tyrest and Xaaron to come over.

    A few minutes later, they arrived and saw the sparkling in a small box with heating pads around the box. Lockdown motioned to them to come closer. Tyrest got a better look at the sparkling and asked with grave concern, “Why is that little one so pale?”

    Lockdown chuckled, “All insecticon newborns are white like that. Unlike the rest of us, they are born underdeveloped. This is often referred to as a ‘larval stage’. Their plating is soft and thin, which makes them prone to injury.” Lockdown pointed at the various bandages he had put on the sparkling’s body. “All of these were caused by trying to crawl around on the rough ground for a long-time. A sparkling like this wouldn’t do this unless he was trying to search for his carrier. Given his age, this sparkling is something else.”

    Xaaron looked at the sparkling’s face. He noticed some strange clear goo coming out of his eyes. Lockdown smiled and said, “That’s antibiotics, a standard procedure for newborns to prevent infections that can cause blindness. Oh and the reason I called both of you was to get this sparkling to stop crying. Your light-resonance spark calms him.”

    “Wait a minute,” said Xaaron, “is this sparkling’s carrier the Forsworn that had that surgery?”

    “I suspect he is,” replied Lockdown, “gestational chambers won’t prolapse like that unless he recently gave birth and the trauma of battle just caused it to happen. Also, the patient appeared to have been only gravid once. If this sparkling was searching for him, then yeah…You two can hold him if you like. They prefer staying warm by cuddling and curling up next to someone instead of being in the incubator.”

    Xaaron picked the sparkling up and started whispering to him in Primal Vernacular. He then handed the sparkling to Tyrest who was anxious about holding the newborn. He had only held a newborn sparkling twice; once with Xaaron’s son, Grapple, who barely a toddler and another legislator which he had raised. Lockdown pulled up a seat for them to sit down and hold the newborn on their lap. He bid them farewell before informing the legislators on medical duty that he was leaving.

    One of the legislators looked and saw the baby and said, “Woah…he looks like the Forsworn leader in the face.” The legislator handed Tyrest a needless syringe filled with formula.

    Tyrest who was wearing the headphones looked at the chubby sparkling’s face. All the legislators looked the same to him, so he saw no difference. The sparkling cooed but Tyrest didn’t understand baby-talk since he had never had his own sparklings. Xaaron took the formula from Tyrest and began to feed him. As expected of insecticon sparklings, the newborn had a ravenous appetite and finished his meal in an instant. They burped the sparkling before giving him another serving of formula.

    Meanwhile, Lockdown caught up with the others. They stumbled upon a group of Forsworn gatherers. Since they had enabled personal cloaking devices, the gatherers didn’t notice them as they cooked lunch. From the looks of it, all of the Forsworn present were civilians. In a gamble, all of the warriors had left to capture Tyrest but failed. Rather than unleash their assault on the civilians, they decided to confront the leader and capture him instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically a newborn is still considered a newborn if they are less than a month (or 28 days) old. This sparkling is still somewhere within that time frame.
> 
> His ability to crawl in his desperate search for his carrier was meant to hint at the fact that his sire (the Forsworn leader) is a powerful mech since the sparkling apparently inherited his immense power.


	33. Supreme Commander LIX (59)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The leader of the Forsworn is confronted, but then he decides to take matters into his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LIX (59 or if you want pronounce it as "Lix") is the name I had given the Forsworn leader. In the end, I chose not to mention it except in the title of this chapter, since then that would make him come off as an OC. He's just supposed to be another legislator among the hundreds. The same goes for the other legislators that had more prominent roles. Plus, I couldn't think of a good title for the chapter, so there. 
> 
> I chose "LIX" due to the fact I like how it sounds, plus it's giving him a number name like Ten, who would be called "X". Though I am aware that Ten says his name due to his aphasia.

    About an hour or so passed and the sparkling’s condition was improving exponentially. This was due to the medics mixing diluted royal jelly into the sparkling’s formula. Normally, this mixture is reserved for future breeding colony queens, but the legislators justified its use since they suspected the sparkling was the Forsworn leader’s son. In their culture, leaders were considered queens as well.

    The sparkling was content being around Tyrest in particular. (That may’ve been due to his light-resonance spark.) The room was kept dark; since an insecticon sparkling’s dermal plating is also photosensitive and made him at risk for burns. Though the chief justice didn’t want to admit it, he grew very fond of the sparkling. He also became resentful towards the carrier. Why would anyone abandon such an innocent spakling?

    Xaaron leaned over on one of the chairs with smug grin. “So, have you reevaluated your stance on being this insecticon colony’s breeding queen? You look so blissful and relaxed holding that newborn. It’s almost like it’s natural for you or something.”

    Tyrest looked Xaaron right in the eye and said, “I wasn’t able to feed him, but you did. This comes more naturally to you than it does to me.”

    Chuckling Xaaron replied, “You are mistaken. I only know because I’ve had my own newborn long ago. Now, he’s grown and working hard as an engineer with a passion for architecture and weaponry. Besides, with practice you’d be able to feed and care for plenty of sparklings.”

    Tyrest covered the sparkling’s ears and said to Xaaron, “Why do I have a feeling that this has to do with a fetish of yours?”

    “I beg your pardon?” asked Xaaron, “This has nothing to do with any fetish. Fetishes involve desires relating to weird things. There’s nothing weird about the thought of an attractive mech, like you, interfacing.”

    Tyrest groaned as he uncovered the sparkling’s ears. Xaaron laughed.

    “I’m going to be honest, I thought carrying was a wonderful experience,” said Xaaron, “but I still think one is enough. Grapple was a handful, and this is that others have told me he was very well-behaved and obedient. Tyrest, you’re so lucky Nova forbade you from studying engineering.”

    “What?” asked Tyrest, confused by Xaaron’s seemingly random statement, “Why?”

    “Let me tell you about it,” Xaaron sighed, shaking his head, “I thought engineering involved drawing and designing things on graphed paper. But they build things too!”

    “I know,” said Tyrest, “that’s why I was interested. I wanted to design and build my own inventions.”

    “Yes, but do you realize how…dangerous that is?” asked Xaaron, “I will admit, I shouldn’t have been ignorant on the subject. I was in the Ethics Committee and Grapple grew up exposed to it all. Naturally, he gained an interest in engineering and wanted to work in that field. As a supportive parent, I gave him some tips to pass the Functionist placement exams. Anyway, I didn’t find out until two cycles ago, that his arm was torn off in an explosion while in uni. I almost died of the shock; to think such a thing happened to my sparkling? I still don’t know how to feel about this. I understand why he was reluctant to tell me, but still…I’m sure Nova didn’t want the same to happen to you.”

    Tyrest smiled uncomfortably. He had done some engineering and he never had anything explode on him because he was careful. Tyrest looked at the sparkling, who had fallen asleep in his arms. Tyrest petted the sparkling’s head, making him peep in the process. Tyrest withdrew his hand.

    One of the medics decided it was time to reunite the sparkling with his carrier. It was indeed the Forsworn that had the GCP, since a quick DNA confirmed their relationship. Tyrest and Xaaron bid them farewell as the medic covered the sparkling with a light blanket. The sparkling was still asleep in his arms.

    The carrier had been transferred to isolation. The room was quieter and darker, to help reduce sensory overload due to the repairs on his audial receptors. The medic opened the door and the carrier picked up his head to see who entered. The carrier got ready to attack, but his artillery was disabled. Seeing the hostile reception, the medic took several steps back and decided to leave. Suddenly, the sparkling began cooing underneath the blanket. He had sensed his carrier and called out to him. The carrier put away his weapons when he heard the sparkling and tried to get up. It was the first time he had ever heard his sparkling’s voice. The carrier began to weep as the medic uncovered the sparkling. The medic handed the sparkling to the carrier.

    The carrier looked at his sparkling and was overjoyed to see him again. The sparkling smiled, his feelings were mutual. However, the reunion was cut short, because the medic began to berate the carrier. The medic held nothing back since the Forsworn was about Tyrest’s and Xaaron’s age. (In other words, he was old-enough to know better.)

    Xaaron who was still wearing his headphones, overheard their conversation. “Ouch…” Seeing that Tyrest wanted a translation, he said, “The medic just told the carrier that he found his negligence appalling and that he doesn’t deserve the sparkling because of it. And now the carrier is trying to justify himself, by saying that participating in the attack was his duty due to his rank. But that's a weak excuse.”

    “That’s understandable,” said Tyrest, “but zealotry also makes others do illogical things. I’ve seen it firsthand with mechs who’re obsessed with their faction. Star Saber has also told me about how irrational those antitheists can be. Xaaron, where are you going?”

    Xaaron had gotten up from his seat and said, “I want to see how that chubby sparkling is doing.” He left the room and Tyrest went after him. The sparkling had only been away from them for 15 minutes.

    Meanwhile, Star Saber and the others continued walking through the cave. There was not much, since the cave was relatively barren. There were small cave mushrooms on the walls, but it looked as if the larger ones had been recently picked. Most “wild” insecticon colonies were simple plain tunnels. All the hallways looked very similar, but this as to confuse intruders. Since Hardshell retained his memories of the capture, he helped them navigate through the tunnels. They located a room with a weapons cache and confiscated everything. (After all, this was their duty as “unofficial” enforcers of the Tyrest Accord.) They continued on their journey, there was not much.

    Finally, they arrived at the center of the cave. Above them, hung the eviscerated body of one of the Forsworn from the ceiling. He was missing the lower-half of his legs, both his arms, and his mandible. Wires and cables that held his insides barely clung to his body by sheer willpower.

    Hardshell whispered, “He is their leader.”

    The entire party was shocked. Though they expected the leader to be large in size, he was, they didn’t expect him to look like that. Star Saber frowned to see the mech in such a deplorable state. Hardshell didn’t get a chance to interact with the leader, but he saw the Forsworn address him as such as he hung motionless from the ceiling. Even for an insecticon, Hardshell found the situation too disturbing. Yet, something was amiss.

    Without warning, the leader opened his eyes and let out a deafening roar. A powerful force seemed to emanate from his body, knocking everyone against the cave wall.

    He hissed, “I should’ve expected this from you meddling foreign demons. You may’ve taken the support of my subordinates and nearly disabled my body, but you’ve not taken my pride.” The headphones they wore were affected by the attack. The leader’s voice was faint and heavily garbled.

    Star Saber took off his helm and said, “The majority left by their own will.” He trying to control his dizziness and sense of direction, but that proved to be difficult.

    “Silence, foreigner!” the leader roared, pushing them harder against the wall.

    Star Saber’s legislator spoke, since the leader had no intention of reasoning with foreigners, much less, non-insecticons, “We left because we wanted to. Your violent ways are an affront to our forefathers. The reason our ancestors settled on this fertile moon was to live in peace.”

    “We cannot have peace as long as those foreigners walk among us,” replied the leader, “You’re not a young mech. How could you forget about the demons that pillaged our land and murdered our brethren in cold-blood? Such a cruel act is unforgivable!”

    “I haven’t,” replied the legislator, “for this reason, I confirm that our breeding colony queen is not one of them.”

    “ _Our_?” scoffed the leader, “That thing is unworthy to carry our young, much less walk among our lands. To consider it a ‘queen’…”

    The legislator asked, “If he was unworthy of being a breeding colony queen, why did you plan to kidnap him? That act alone contradicts your stance in regards to ‘peace’. What was the purpose of the supposed brainwashing you planned to do to him? If he was unworthy, why go through all that trouble?”

    Unable to answer the questions, the leader roared louder; upset that the traitors were too far lost in order to be saved. The roar also attracted the rest of the Forsworn to the area, including a few sparklings.

    Braver realized that the cause of their dizziness was due to a magnetic disturbance. Long-term exposure to such things causes various ailments, including internal hemorrhaging. The disturbance needed to be stopped, or else he’d suffer memory damage. He wasn’t able to accurately pinpoint the source, but he suspected the leader was the cause.

    The leader gathered all his strength and channeled his energy to push the intruders against the wall, slowly crushing them as punishment. Seeing what was occurring, some of the Forsworn herded the sparklings away to protect them from the imminent carnage.

    Braver figured out what was happening and shot a glance at Laster, who had understood too. They then looked at Blacker, who recognized the sparkle in their eyes. Finally, Star Saber, who realized there was only one thing left to do.

    “Transform! Merge! Battle Up!” cried Star Saber, as he and the Brainmasters began to combine.

    The energy released from the transformation was too much for the leader to restrain that he was forced to release everyone. Before him, stood Road Caesar this time combined with Star Saber. He was taller, thicker, and more powerful than before. Road Caesar smiled at the leader.

    Fearful, the leader tried to blast Road Caesar with his artillery but Road Caesar teleported behind him picking him up. Despite Road Caesar holding onto him in a gentle but firm manner, the leader could sense the combiner’s immense power. Road Caesar could crush him on a whim but had chosen not to. Road Caesar teleported out of the cave, taking the leader with him.

    As soon as they left, Lockdown signaled the others to retreat from the cave. The Forsworn saw them leave and went to check on their leader who had vanished. Worried, they followed Lockdown and the others, but not before heading to their weapons cache, only to find it barren. Without hesitation, they grabbed other items, like cooking pots, brooms, shovels, and the like, to arm themselves with.

    Out of the cave, Road Caesar put down the leader and separated himself. The leader saw what they had done and snarled. He uttered, “So it’s a fight, you want? I won’t give you that satisfaction.”

    The leader sunk his teeth into the ground and four large boulders emerged from the ground. The leader aimed the boulders at the Brainmasters who blasted them to bits in self-defense. Star Saber channeled his own energy and struck the ground with his Saber Blade, causing the leader to lose his grip. The Brainmasters approached him, with their swords sheathed.

    “What do you want with me?!” cried the leader, confused by their behavior.

    “We Priests of the Circle of Light, would like to negotiate a peace treaty with you and your followers, on behalf of Chief Justice Tyrest,” said Star Saber.

    The leader panted. Using, his powers, he picked himself off the ground and levitated towards them. He circled them, inspecting them in the process. The Brainmasters inspected him as well. Though heavily injured, he was still formidable. He had an air which commanded respect, more so than whatever Star Saber’s rank was.

    Satisfied with his inspection, the leader said calmly, “I’m impressed. I didn’t think your kind was capable of being civilized, considering you’ve been at war for so long…” The leader chuckled. “Why are you all surprised that I know? Just because I’ve not participated in any of it doesn’t make me unaware. I had my followers implant listening devices in that property. From that, we learned more about your war. However, that ‘queen’ found them within a week and disabled them. How do I know? He spoke directly to one saying…I don’t remember. He has an incoherent and clearly inferior accent. But it was to let us know that he knew.” The leader paused and moved closer to Star Saber. “I’m surprised he didn’t attack us back then out of retaliation. But then he’s like the lot of you…more intellectual and scheming.”

    Blacker closed his eyes and prayed in silence. It was difficult to restrain himself from punching the leader due to his disrespectful arrogance.

    The leader noticed Blacker and chuckled at him. He levitated close to him and asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t handle a civil conversation?”

    Blacker looked at him in the eye and replied, “It stops being civil when there’s insults, no matter how passive the comments may be.”

    Backing away the leader said, “My apologies. It was simply a test to ease my doubts.” His apology was sincere. The leader then placed himself in a supine position on the ground.

    Star Saber approached him and knelt beside him. “So…when are we going to begin the negotiations?”

    The leader laughed in his face. “Do you take me for a fool? I do not negotiate with foreigners.”

    Star Saber frowned, “First of all, you are not being civil as you claim to be. Secondly, _listen_. Thirdly, if all this works out; we’d have it to where others must respect your political boundaries or else face fines. And finally, we can even get your various injuries repaired. You may not want to admit it, but it’s clear you’re in constant pain.”

    The leader ignored Star Saber, knowing his words where true. The leader looked on towards the distance. He spotted Lockdown and the others at the entrance of the cave, with their guns drawn moving closer to them. The leader cried, “Your twisted plots won’t work on me! Taking me away from my hideout, so all of your armed allies could massacre the innocent…”

    Star Saber gasped at the leader. Before he knew it, they were surrounded by Lockdown and the others. The leader gave everyone a dirty look and said, “Don’t think you’ve won just yet. There’s only one thing left to take from me and I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of doing so.”

    Without warning, the leader gathered all his energy and crushed his own torso with his magnetic powers in an attempt to extinguish his spark. The pressure he applied to himself was so strong; his green spark popped out of his lifeless body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The leader was supposed to have some sort of psychic/magnetic/Force abilities. The reason his powers were so strong was because he used them to mobilize himself. He seems to be the kind of proud warrior mech who would refuse to have his subordinates carry him around. The reason he was hung in such a way, was probably due to preference (he wanted everyone to be able to see him) or a bizarre attempt at self-flagellation. 
> 
> However, there are hints he was going mad as stated by his strange decision to kidnap the foreign queen after so many years of being against his presence on Luna-1. Even he didn't seem to understand what was going on since he was confused when confronted with logic.


	34. International peace treaty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They establish a peace treaty with the Forsworn.

    Fortunately, Lockdown was quick and caught the leader’s disembodied spark as it flew out of his body. Lockdown shouted, “Get me a fraggin’ jar and the strongest drinks you’ve got!” The spark shook violently in his hands and burned his palms. Lockdown cringed as the smoke was coming out of his hands.

    A Forsworn ran towards them with a cooking pot, as Chop Shop pulled out several bottles of rum, vodka, and beer. Lockdown held the spark inside the pot as Chop Shop poured the alcohol all over the spark and Lockdown’s hands. The others opened the other bottles and did the same thing. When the spark was completely submerged, Lockdown closed the lid on it, and then taped it shut. His hands burned and trembled from the intervention.

    Exhausted from the brisk movement Lockdown said to the others, “This is called ‘spark-pickling’. It’s a crude life-saving technique. It’s hard-enough to catch the spark and then it’s a bit tricky to reintroduce it back in the body. But it usually works.” Lockdown sighed with a pained expression.

    Lockdown had experience performing this technique. When he suspected the leader was going to attempt suicide, he readied himself to catch the spark. Yet, this was the first time a spark had burned his hand like that. Most sparks are just glowing bluish-white orbs, but the leader’s spark was radioactive green.

    Some of the youngest sparklings that managed to see the leader’s final actions were crying inconsolably. The adults tried to explain to them that their leader wasn’t dead, but they were too young to understand what Lockdown had tried to do. Their leader had been a strong paternal figure of sorts for the colony. Even before the division, everyone respected him without question and he was beloved by all. As far as the legislators were concerned, the only flaws the leader had was his hostility towards foreigners and his threats to their breeding colony queen.

    The Forsworn looked at their leader and back at Star Saber, who was clearly unarmed. Shaking his head Star Saber said to them, “He didn’t see any of you and thought you all were killed!”

    Some had understood Star Saber, since they were good at reading lips and Steve tried translating for the rest of them. One of the healers treated Lockdown’s burns with some wild sap and bandaged him up with what he had on hand.

    Lugnut looked at the leader’s body and asked, “Is blood supposed to be that color?” The blood coming out of the leader’s body was an ominous violet color.

    Braver frowned, crossing his arms, and replied, “No…that’s not normal.” As a priest, Braver knew exactly what was going on. The leader’s body was contaminated with dark energon, the supposed lifeblood of the Chaos Bringer himself, Unicron.

    “Then what is it?” asked Lugnut.

    “ _Angorumoa_ ,” replied Braver softly, since it was an uncommon term to refer to dark energon. Seeing that the answer confused Lugnut, he added, “This is bad because his body is corrupted. For that reason, I strongly advice we take special precautions when handling his body.” Braver knew for the most part, that the general population would panic if they knew that was dark energon. Many have heard of it, but have never seen it before since it’s rare. The last thing Braver or any of the other Brainmasters wanted was a descent into chaos over the disturbing discovery. For that reason, he tried making it sound like a rare medical condition.

    The Brainmasters, who had learned to fight against Unicron cultists, inspected the body before asking to be ground-bridged back to the compound. The civilian Forsworn decided to join them too. Galaxy Shuttle was awaiting their arrival and was surprised to see that the Forsworn had come with them willingly. The sudden arrival of a large group of mechs prompted the legislators to swarm to the area. When they saw that their Forsworn brethren had arrived in peaceful terms, they all embraced each other.

    The leader’s body was transported to the clinic and his spark was placed in a proper spark containment unit. Lockdown ordered Barrage and Venom to fetch him some “spare parts” from his ship. Meanwhile, Braver and Laster began to mix a milky white solution inside a very large tub. The others brought the parts, stored in discreet containers, and set them aside.

    Lockdown, with the insistence of Braver and Laster, had submerged the Forsworn leader’s body in the solution they made. It was meant to cleanse his body from the dark energon it was contaminated with. The solution began to bubble as if where boiling upon contact. This was a good sign, since it meant it was working. Normally, the solution would be diluted to reduce the risk of hypovolemia and extinguishing the spark due to the shock. However, since the leader had extracted his own, spark from his body, they could use the concentrated solution for quicker and more thorough cleansing.

    As for his green spark, that was the spark of a Point One Percenter, a powerful mech with special abilities. This was likely the explanation of the leader’s unusual power and resilience. These sparks were very rare and thus considered valuable. In fact, this was the first time Lockdown had ever seen one in person. Unlike the normal sparks, the Point One Percenter sparks are volatile and that was why it burned Lockdown’s hand. He was fortunate-enough to not have it explode as soon as he made contact with it.

    Out of respect for the Forsworn, particularly the distraught sparklings, the leader’s body and contained spark where shown to them. It was explained to them in simple terms that the leader was unwell because of the demons’ influence. They had infected him with the dark energon. Due to the involuntary acquisition of the illness, the leader was asymptomatic. His eyes never turned into that creepy purple but remained red, nor did he emit the malevolent aura. However, he had become aggressive and increasingly paranoid, the latter trait is the most common and easy to identify. Even a small amount of dark energon can contaminate someone though it would take many solar cycles. This is why that solution was vital.

    The final Forsworn left to see their leader were the carrier and his newborn. Despite his protests, the carrier was taken to see the leader’s body on a wheelchair. He was on a strict mobility restriction to not only heal from his surgery, but from post-partum too. (The carrier was unhappy about this.) The carrier held the spark-container on one arm and his sparkling on the other. The sparkling moved towards the container and touched it with his hand. Something about the touch lessened the wild flickering of the leader’s spark, as if it comforted him or perhaps gave him a reason to stay. The sparkling then moved closer to suck on the container. Before the sparkling had the chance, his carrier moved him away and gave him a pacifier.

    Early the next morning, the Forsworn and the legislators held a meeting in the arena. They had decided to conduct peace negotiations and formalize their nation, despite thinking it was a silly thing to do.  The Decepticon mercenaries, except Lockdown, were present. Lockdown was busy working in the clinic. The Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle were present; their job was to be intermediaries. Finally, Tyrest and Xaaron but only Xaaron was involved since he provided legal counsel. Tyrest was the breeding colony queen. Therefore, he was not allowed to actively participate in such negotiations, which made him panicky. Tyrest had too many things he wanted to say, but had to keep quiet.

    The legislators that spoke on behalf of their kind were the fifteen legislators who lived in the villa. They were the most literate legislators. Unlike the Forsworn, their tribe was a republic. In fact, the fifteen were elected by the others to live in the villa. If one lost an election or resigned, he returned to live with the others. The Forsworn had two representatives, their strategist and their second-in-command (who was given permission to attend since he was also the carrier of the newborn sparkling, who was brought along to the meeting). Both of them knew the leader well and understood his wishes.

    Their society never had a written language, all of their rules and customs were passed down orally. Most never bothered or cared about learning how to read. (It was unknown why their ancestors had such a strong hatred of reading and writing.) The fifteen legislators had already taken it amongst themselves to write down all of their spoken and unspoken laws. They had compiled and organized these laws years ago as soon as all of them learned how to read. Like the chief justice, they always updated their laws when it needed to be done. Now, it was their duty to incorporate Forsworn laws into their laws as a legal unification.

    But this legal merging was going to take weeks, at the minimum. For now, their status as a nation was a priority. The legislators already had their own flag, which the Forsworn agreed to use since they didn’t have one. (The legislators’ flag was created when they realized that the city-states on Cybertron had their own flags. They chose a black hexagonal pattern on a gold background.) Xaaron explained that Tyrest wanted them to declare themselves a country, so he could add them under the protection of the Tyrest Accord, since they were the native inhabitants of Luna-1. (Though they didn’t need to create their own nation, the chief justice wanted to give them the same equal rights and benefits the citizens of Tyrest and Kalis had. They couldn’t have any of this without being legitimized.)

    When it was time to decide on a name, they allowed the chief justice to get involved. (Mostly because they weren’t creative with names.) Tyrest was annoyed at himself for not thinking about possible names while he was sitting out. Thinking fast, Tyrest said, “I have a suggestion, call it ‘The Confederation of Magistrates’. It hints at your recent alliance and the fact you all are so formal when it comes to negotiations.”

    Shocked, Xaaron asked “What kind of name is that? It’s horrible! Real-life places have beautiful names like, Vos, Crystal City, or Tyger Pax. But since all of you like names with specific titles thrown in. Um…how about the ‘Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya’…Wait…no, never mind. That name is horrible too! We’ll think of something.”

    They decided to skip the naming and finished working on the other legal requirements. At the end, they had to finally write down a name for their nation. Seeing that the only option they had was the name Tyrest mentioned, they called themselves “The Confederation of Magistrates”. Happy that their state was legal, Tyrest went to his office and updated the Tyrest Accord in order to include them.

    That evening, they held Star Saber’s branding ceremony in the arena and everyone was invited to come. (The ceremonial ritual was sometimes called the “Act of Affiliation”.) Surprisingly, the Decepticon mercenaries were present, including Lugnut. Though Lugnut disagreed about the Autobot cause, he felt he needed to be there and support Star Saber, since they both fought valiantly next to each other.

    During the ritual, the highest-ranking Autobot was tasked with drawing an interim Autobot symbol on the new Autobot. Though Tyrest insisted he was a neutral for the sake of his accord and suggested that Xaaron draw it instead. However, the crowd chanted and demanded that Tyrest do it. Star Saber decided, for the sake of symmetry, that he wanted two brands, one on each arm. Both Tyrest and Xaaron drew his symbol. Because it was almost 9:00 pm and Star Saber didn’t like staying up late, they decided to postpone the after party until the next day and to dedicate the entire day to partying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit that I had no clue what to call the country of legislators. So even though I came up with a crappy name, it would've realistically been like this too. XD


	35. Dark side of the moon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pair of mercenaries arrive on Luna-1 and uncover evidence of some unusual activities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please imagine the "[Chozo Ruins](https://youtu.be/XXS3XZwPaEk)" song from Metroid Prime playing in the background while reading this. :3

    That night, a small ship shielded with a cloaking device, made its way to Luna-1 from Cybertron. Inside the ship were two mechs with car alt-modes. They remained silent as their ship bypassed security. They looked for a place to land but the entire moon was covered in dense foliage. Landing on a clearing was risky and dangerous since it made them easy to spot. Taking a risk, the pilots of the ship landed on the dark side of the moon.

    Like the light-side, the dark side was covered in foliage too, which made it difficult to see. The air and everything there was still. One of the pilots of the ship, a blue mech, pulled out a small radar gun that detected lifeforms. The only lifeforms the radar gun detected were himself and his partner. He showed his findings to his partner who let out an annoyed groan.

    “What’s wrong, Getaway?” asked the blue mech.

    “Skids, I hate having to track things down in a jungle!” replied Getaway, “Our client never mentioned anything about jungles! I swear to Primus if I see him, I’m going to…”

    Skids moved to cover Getaway’s mouth, which was pointless since Getaway wore a facemask. But Getaway stopped talking and they saw a patrol droid darting through the canopy. At first, the droid was difficult to see since it was small, and had no lights. After the droid passed, Getaway put his hands on Skids’ hips then smacked his aft.

    “Stop!” cried Skids as he backed away.

    “But I already stopped,” chuckled Getaway, “with an aft like that, I can’t help myself. I’m just trying to lighten the mood.  C’mon let’s go. We need to find this mansion and remember where we parked.”

    Skids made a mental note of the environment and both of them headed into the jungle. They activated a special energy shield which was fueled by their body heat. This shield would make them appear harmless to the wildlife as to prevent detection. Sentinels would rush to a site of disturbance. However, their radar had not detected any other lifeforms but it was better to err on the side of caution.

    Skids located a trail and decided to follow it. They heard a faint noise and hid in the bushes. Another sentinel droid passed by. These droids were non-sentient machinery and didn’t count as lifeforms. Their radar gun didn’t detect them well as a result. For this reason, Skids and Getaway had to be on their guard at all times.

    They continued on their way. The jungle was nearly silent. The only sounds they heard were their breathing and internal mechanisms clicking. The silence was bothering Getaway.

    “This jungle smells like leaf,” said Getaway as he grimaced, “I can’t stand leaf. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

    Skids rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood to argue the fact that trees have leaves and jungles are made out of a bunch of trees. Skids said, “Listen, there’s going to be times where we have to put up with things we don’t like. If it makes you feel better, the payout for this job is going to be huge.”

    There was a disturbance in the area that Skids couldn’t figure out its source. It was giving him a headache and he begun to feel disoriented. He wanted to tell Getaway he wasn’t feeling well. But he thought Getaway would make a joke of it and Skids wasn’t in the mood for tasteless jokes. Not to mention, he remembered what he told Getaway about putting up with things he doesn’t like.

    Thunder was heard in the distance, as light drops of rain fell from above. The forest was so thick that they had no clue it was raining and the rain had gotten stronger. Neither of them had packed an umbrella. A small wild droid perched on a lifeless twig. It was round like a t-cog and generally ethereal in appearance. It began to whistle without warning. The sudden noise spooked Skids. Getaway tried his best to muffle his laughter. Skids checked the time; it was around 3:30 am on this particular region of Luna-1. Wild droids, which are living creatures, should not be singing at this hour. He looked at the droid but was gone.

    Pulling out his radar gun, Skids looked for the droid but there were no signs of life other than himself and Getaway. They heard the whistle once more, but there was nobody else there. Seeing that Skids was becoming paranoid, Getaway pulled out his own radar gun and handed it to Skids. He too had heard the whistles, but figured Skids’ radar gun was malfunctioning. Skids checked once more and found nothing. (To be fair, the wild droid had likely flown off farther away and no longer within the radar’s range.) After a brief recuperation, they continued their trek through the seemingly endless jungle.

    Something about this place, in general, was wrong. Skids had been in enough places to know ominous danger when he sensed it. This dark jungle gave him the creeps. Getaway didn’t feel this way. He was more annoyed over the fact he had to be walking through disgusting vegetation. Finally, Skids said, “I need to rest, I don’t feel so good. My head is pounding like crazy.”

    Getaway, realizing that Skids was unwell said to him, “I think I see an abandoned building up ahead. Maybe we can rest there. Our client never gave us a time frame to finish. We can take all the time we like. He deserves it for not mentioning this jungle.”

    Skids nodded and they headed towards the abandoned building. Getaway wasn’t worried about the traps; after all he was a master of escape. Skids was a fast-learning theoretician and had been in enough places to be able to detect any traps and escape from them. The building was a small shed and had no lifeforms in it but was in a gross state of disrepair. The building seemed like it could collapse at any given moment.

    There was a dirty couch inside of the shed and bits of old paper all over the ground, as well as tree branches. Getaway helped Skids to the couch. Skids closed his teary eyes; the headache was affecting his vision. Getaway pulled out a small first aid kit that Skids had in his subspace and handed him a pill to decrease the pain. Skids pulled out his water bottle and took the pill. Getaway stood next to Skids, until the latter spoke.

    “Thanks,” Skids said with a half-hearted smile. The painkiller had some effect, but the awful feeling he had wouldn’t go away. It was an awful sense of dread forcefully trying to creep deep into his mind. The headache almost felt as if his body was trying to fight it off as if it were a disease. Skids tried to distract himself. He said to Getaway, “It’s going to take us several days to reach the target, since they’re on the near side of the moon. And this brush is too difficult to walk through.”

    Getaway inspected his surroundings, he suddenly stepped on something and turned around, “What in the pit?!” He looked at it and found a rusted severed arm on the floor. He turned on his flashlight and saw pieces of various rusted corpses all over the ground. Skids’ heart sank at the sight. It appeared they had stumbled upon a crime scene.

    “Is it just me, or are the body parts forming a pattern?” asked Skids as he observed the placement of the rusted arm Getaway stepped on, along with three other arms. The index fingers of the hands were extended, while the remaining digits closed into a fist. The arms lay on the ground along the four cardinal points (North, South, East, and West) and were pointing at the center.

    Getaway switched the settings of his flashlight and turned it into a blacklight. The light revealed a cryptic summoning circle drawn on the floor. The lines of the summoning circle were black, while everything else was illuminated in a deep blue. The arms were pointing at the center of this summoning circle, until Getaway had stepped on one by mistake.

    This confirmed that this was the site of morbid rituals for a particularly bloody Unicron worshipping sect. Yet, none of them knew what this stood for. It seemed more like an ominous warning, if anything. Skids wanted to leave, but Getaway got a hold of him. He figured that perhaps they could use this as evidence in regards of “suspicious” activities, despite it being unrelated. From what they knew about their target, this type of thing seemed out of character for him.

    Nevertheless, Skids took photos of the site with a special camera given to him for this particular mission. He saw something scribbled on the wall in Primal Vernacular. It was also in black. He took a photo of it and said to Getaway as he pointed to it, “This says ‘I am controlling’. Just like the markings on the floor, this too is written in blood. Let’s get out of here.”

    “No!” said Getaway, with a cheeky grin, “Are you afraid? We still need to investigate. The more proof we have, the better. Besides, there’s no one around and this place has been abandoned for dozens of solar cycles. All I see here is health code and building code violations.”

    Getaway’s words seemed to put Skids at ease. Getaway was right, the place was abandoned and the only problems with it were that it was an unsafe building in an unsanitary condition. They inspected the building. There was a nothing there other than the body parts, bits of paper and the couch. There were signs that the room had been cleared out, but that seemed to have occurred many years ago.

    Looking around at the floor boards, Getaway found some that sounded hollow upon tapping with his foot. He removed the boards to reveal a crudely-made tunnel. Skids didn’t even have to ask. He knew Getaway wanted them to explore. Getaway entered the tunnel and Skids followed behind after he covered the entrance with the loose floor boards.

    The tunnel was unguarded. Feeling safe, Getaway began moving forward. Suddenly, there was sound coming from above them which sounded like footsteps. Someone had entered the shed. Skids got his radar gun and pointed it above them, towards the flooring. No lifeforms were detected, but it still sounded like others were there. Taking no chances, Getaway and Skids hurried further into the tunnel. Skids turned on his flashlight. Getaway was relieved since he didn’t have to go through leaves. The situation made Skids upset. Though he wasn’t religious anymore, he felt the urge to pray to Primus for safety. He did and it appeared to help; at least it made him feel less afraid.

    Getaway, who was walking behind Skids, still holding the blacklight saw there was a trail of blood inside the tunnel. He didn’t want to make mention of it because he heard Skids praying softly and didn’t want to frighten his partner. Instead, Getaway chuckled and asked, “Do you remember that one time we had to sneak into sewers to break into that Decepticon, camp?”

    Skids gagged, “For the love of Primus, don’t remind me.”

    “Why not?” asked Getaway, “That was one of our most successful missions! That tunnel was completely unguarded, just like this one…”

    “Getaway, that scrap was nasty,” replied Skids shaking his head, “I’d give anything to forget that smell. Who in their right mind…would do that? I had that smell on me for weeks and couldn’t even eat. Everything smelled and tasted just like…Wait a minute…you’re trying to get me to forget that creepy stuff we saw back there, aren’t you?”

    Getaway turned off his flashlight as soon as Skids turned around, smiling, Getaway said, “You’re a quick learner, alright…” He then playfully nudged Skids on the chin, “Bomp!”

    Skids shook his head, “This is not the time.”

    “What are you talking about, Skids?” replied Getaway as he shrugged, “It’s always bomp time!”

    “‘Bomp time’? You have got to be kidding,” Skids shook his head as they continued moving forward.

    Skids saw a piece of paper further ahead. He shined the flashlight on it and saw another cryptic message. This time it was written in Neo Cybex. The message read, “If you can read this, you know too much.” Skids’ and Getaway’s eyes widened. Both were concerned for different reasons. Skids was creeped out and Getaway thought they were being led into a trap. The tunnel only had two directions, front and back. If they went back, they’d be captured by whatever was walking around on the surface. If they moved forward, they’d fall into a trap. Either way, their situation did not ease their feelings of impending doom. They took a risk and kept moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you'd know, the severed arms were a macabre silent alarm. They way they were positioned was meant to create a balance between the natural forces and the corrupted magnetic forces that were concentrated in the area. Disrupting this balance caused nearby undead guards to reawaken. Since they're undead, they couldn't show up on Skids' radar. They were what's moving above.


	36. A pair of uninvited guests.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skids and Getaway arrive at the compound.

    Skids and Getaway walked through the long straight tunnel. There was nothing much to it, other than it had once been used frequently. There were several large footprints imprinted in the ground. At one point, they found an old candy wrapper on the ground and picked it up. It said, “Sugar Gumpops – Pineapple Paradise” on the wrapper. Skids looked at it and said, “This brand has been discontinued for about 40 solar cycles.”

    Getaway took the wrapper and said, “No it hasn’t!” He pulled out a piece of candy and its wrapper said, “Sugar Gumpops – Blueberry Blast”. However, the wrapper on Getaway’s candy had a more modern and simplified design that looked nothing like the one Skids found.

    Since they were still a long way from their target, Getaway shared his candy with Skids, as they took a short break. Getaway also had some chips on him too. As they ate their empty-calorie snacks, Getaway said to Skids, “Listen, I have this old saying…”

    “Does it have anything to do with ‘bomp’?” asked Skids, exasperated with his partner's catchphrase.

    “No!” replied Getaway, “That’s why I said _‘listen’_. My old saying is ‘Run hot but always keep your cool.’ I know situations like this can be nerve-racking, especially if they remind you of bad scrap you’ve seen in the past. But we can’t afford to let these fears hold us back. We’ve got to channel them somehow and make them work in our favor or else we’re fragged, but in the bad way.”

    “You’re right,” said Skids as he looked down with a single tear running down his eye, “it’s just that being in tunnels and seeing dismembered body parts everywhere reminds me of…I don’t want to talk about it. Part of me died then and I don’t want the rest of me to go right after. Not at this point. I’ve got too many things to do. So what if we’re in some awkward ceasefire? Those damned Decepticons are still a threat.”

    “I know,” gasped Getaway, “in the battlefield I managed run into Megatron at point-blank range, but I was such a noobish slagger that I didn’t kill him when I had the chance. Fortunately, I don’t think he even noticed me. That’s another thing, I hate him so much! He’s one of those mechs that are 100% fake. Tries to act all sweet, but is awful anyway you see him. Yuck.”

    Their phones beeped. Getaway turned off the sound and deleted the notification. Skids checked the message since he set his phone to only notify him when important messages were sent. “Huh…looks like there’s a new Cybertronian colony here on Luna-1. It’s called ‘The Confederation of Magistrates’ and it’s also protected by the Tyrest Accord, just like those pot city-states.”

    “Yeah, that’s another thing!” cried Getaway, “That damned chief justice! He’s a traitor doing whatever he wants. His accord was supposed to prevent Decepticons from getting deadly tech to use against us Autobots, not to be inventing new countries or decriminalizing marijuana. Some bots argue that the torture part is wrong, but then how else can we get Decepticons or traitors to talk? Then there’s Ultra Magnus, not putting the chief justice in his place and reminding him where his true loyalties should lie.”

    “He legalized pot?” asked Skids. He stopped listening to his partner after he mentioned that the chief justice had decriminalized marijuana.

    “Of course,” replied Getaway nodding his head. “But it’s only in those city-states and probably in this new one too, no doubt. I’m sure he did it to win the favor of Decepticons because they like using drugs and tell them that he’s against Autobots. No good Autobot is a drug-user. Why do you think they made Deadlock go into rehab before he was given a chance to take the Autobot Code exam? I’m glad he did and that he’s clean now.”

    They resumed their walk until reached a dead-end in the tunnel. Looking up they saw a removable plate at the top, but neither were unable to reach it because they were too short. Skids climbed on Getaway’s shoulders and lifted up the panel to see. They were inside Tyrest’s compound, near some random gazebo. Skids and Getaway got out of the tunnel and hid in the bushes. It was early morning. Skids pulled out his radar gun and several lifeforms were visible. These were all random legislators patrolling or doing maintenance. They bore a strong resemblance to the quartered remains found in the abandoned shed.  

    They quietly sneaked around the shrubbery as they moved closer to the villa. As they got close, they heard some laughter. They saw Lockdown’s crew, the Brainmasters with Galaxy Shuttle, several legislators, the emirate, and the chief justice gathered outside setting up things for their party. There were too many dangerous witnesses. Not to mention, they were unable to get a good view of their target; the chief justice.

    Instead, they were forced to wait in the bushes. It was difficult to eavesdrop on the chief justice’s conversation. For the longest time, both Skids and Getaway were trying to concentrate on the emirate’s conversation, thinking it was the chief justice’s. Though they did hear someone speak with Tyrestan accent, they assumed it was one of the rough-looking mercenaries. Before they knew it, the chief justice disappeared abruptly retreating indoors. They spotted the emirate calling after the chief justice, as he got in the house. Only then, did Skids and Getaway realize they were eavesdropping on the wrong mech.

    Xaaron saw Tyrest leave and followed him inside, but Tyrest snapped at him, “Stop following me!”

    Realizing that Tyrest was exhausted from the socialization, Xaaron replied, “I’m sorry. I just thought the way you left so fast, something had upset you.”

    Feeling guilty, Tyrest said, “I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you, Xaaron. Please forgive me. Not sure why, but I feel more anxious than usual this morning and tired too. Yet, I slept well.”

    “I’m not upset,” said Xaaron, “you go on and rest. I’ll go back to the party, being around others who aren’t trying to pile on work gives me life. Text me if you need anything.”

    Tyrest went to his room and Xaaron went back outside. He saw that Star Saber and the others were setting up speakers. Remembering that Tyrest was particularly sensitive to loud sudden noises, Xaaron asked them to limit the volume. Being considerate, Star Saber made sure to set a cap on the speakers. That way, the speakers could be loud but not loud-enough to upset anyone. They set up other instruments too, since they planned on holding a small concert in celebration of Star Saber and the legislator’s official country.

    When everything was ready, Blacker came carrying a long box. He handed the box to Star Saber, who was surprised by the present. Opening the present, Star Saber’s eyes sparkled; it was brand-new guitar like the one he had played at Vector Sigma that he had seen in ancient hieroglyphs. He had always dreamed of owning one. Not to mention is guitar matched the Saber Blade in color scheme, which made it perfect for him. The gift left him speechless.

    Blacker said, “Braver was planning on making you one when we got back to Luna-1, but then when we were shopping in Tyrest, we saw some for sale at a shop. We paid a little extra to have it done in your favorite colors, but it was worth it.”

    Excited, Star Saber spoke on the microphone, “While the food is getting grilled, we’re going to hold a little concert to give thanks to Primus and everyone else who made this wonderful reunion possible.”

    Lugnut frowned; he never cared much for preachy religious music. Lockdown didn’t either, despite being surrounded by it during his youth, but he did like rock. Steve didn’t care at all as long as the tune was catchy. The others were the same way.

    Xaaron walked back up to the stage and asked, “May you please play that song you played?”

    It took a moment for Star Saber to figure out the emirate was referring to the song he wrote for Deathsaurus. Though, he got emotional just thinking about it, he agreed. He had played it before Vector Sigma. This time, he wasn’t rushed and felt he could give a proper rendition of it. When he was ready, Xaaron began to record the song.

    Unlike the first time, Star Saber started with a soft and somber solo. Blacker was the drummer and recognized the song and began to drum the beat, before Braver with the bass joined in and Laster played the harmony on his keyboard. Tyrest heard the song and decided to open a window to hear the song better since he didn’t want to go back outside yet.

    Lugnut was flabbergasted; he wasn’t expecting to hear that type of metal so early in the morning. “If this is church music, I need to go more often then.”

    Steve whispered to Lockdown, “I want to train to the tune of this song.”

    Unlike the previous time, Star Saber tried to sing. He wasn’t nearly as good as Dai Atlas, but he tried his best. Even though he sung with a heavy accent, it was clear that this song wasn’t a song of warriors battling each other but of passionate lovers. Star Saber’s companions were shocked as well, since they were familiar with the song and had never heard its lyrics before. (Actually, the song never had lyrics. Star Saber came up with them on his second pilgrimage because he realized he needed to be more honest about himself and his feelings. After all, that song was meant for his old friend, whom he still loved after all these years.)

    It took a while for Xaaron to figure out it was about Deathsaurus, because the first person who came to mind for him was Impactor. Their relationship was also strained after a misunderstanding. Usually level-headed, Xaaron broke down in tears. Fortunately, the recording of the song was unaffected. Tyrest liked the tune, though the song didn’t relate to his experiences.

    Skids and Getaway tried to identify the song with an app on their phones because they liked it, even though neither of them was into metal. Since it was a completely original song, there were no matches for it. They tried to position themselves better to enjoy the morning concert. Star Saber and his companions continued to play other random songs for the audience.

    A while later, Tyrest joined the others again after feeling better rested. The legislators and the Forsworn began to grill the food; mostly meat, vegetables, and some fruit. In an orderly fashion, everyone got up to get their plate. Tyrest had gotten some grilled vegetables and some corn. Xaaron got some sausages and sat next to Tyrest. Lugnut got his food too and sat down with them. He had gotten the vegetables but was reluctant to try the meat.

    “Excuse me,” said Lugnut to Tyrest.

    “Yes?” asked the chief justice.

    “What kind of meat is that?” asked Lugnut as he pointed at Xaaron’s plate, “I’m very particular about the types of meat I will eat, whether or not it smells good.”

    Tyrest shrugged and replied, “I don’t know. I’m an herbivore, so I never had a reason to ask. I think it’s like a generic ‘all-purpose’ meat. I don’t know where they get it from, but they eat it on a regular basis.”

    Xaaron’s eyes widened and he looked at Tyrest. Tyrest saw Xaaron’s legislator who was coming to join them and asked him, “What type of meat is this?”

    The legislator waited for them to put on their headphones before replying, “That is ‘bushmeat’, like from the creatures that live in the wild. Don’t worry, the kind we serve have been domesticated, well-fed, killed humanely, and are free of disease. Remember those sweet little creatures from the lake?”

    “Ah!” cried Xaaron as he closed his eyes. He didn’t feel comfortable eating something he petted kindly.

    Tyrest showed photos of them to Lugnut from his phone. Lugnut smiled and said, “They do look delicious, I guess I’ll try it.” He got up to get some meat.

    Seeing his friend in distress, Tyrest petted Xaaron. “You should know meat is the flesh of living creatures that are not plants or fungi. Besides, why didn’t you ask if this was such a concern to you? I could’ve bought imported meats just for you.”

    “Why doesn’t he eat vegetables like the rest of us?” asked Xaaron’s legislator.

    “He is an obligate carnivore,” replied Tyrest, “he _needs_ to eat meat. To think we Cybertronians are all the same species, despite our bodies being so diverse…and I’m not even taking alt-modes into account for this either.”

    Tyrest comforted Xaaron and got a fork with some of the grilled bushmeat and tried to feed it to him, like an infant. Xaaron only ate it because he was hungry but that didn’t stop him from still feeling upset over those little creatures.

    The wind began to blow in a southwesterly direction, blowing the scent of the cooked food towards Getaway and Skids. Not wanting to blow their cover by their growling stomachs, they pulled out their rations and began to eat them. Getaway looked at his rations, which were Scrappy Bitz™ crackers, in disgust. He wanted some of that mouth-watering grilled meat the others were having. Skids felt the same way, though he was more interested in the grilled fruits since he was craving something sweet. They wept as they ate their inferior food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getaway likes keeping rations and by “rations”, I mean “junk food”. He is always snaking, as opposed to Skids, who seems to be the more health conscious one that carries his refillable water bottle.
> 
> When I revealed to my friend that the “meat” they served was basically the cute woodland creatures that made Beachcomber a Disney Princess, my friend became upset in a similar manner as Xaaron. Originally, I left the meat as vague because I didn’t want to mention Earth animals, yet I mentioned Earth fruits. So for that reason, I had to reveal it.
> 
> Like I mentioned in a previous note, sometimes I headcanon them as furries. Tyrest is an herbivore (specifically some sort of [deer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_deer) but with wings). Star Saber is a fox, his friends are other furries, and the insecticons are bugs. Xaaron and Impactor are both plants/flowers (the hint was the [pollination reference](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7042765/chapters/16306055) earlier) and that counts as furries. This in turn, dictates their diet (plants won’t eat plants.)
> 
> If this still confuses you, just accept and ignore this. I’m only explaining some of the logic involved in the development of this world building.


	37. Target: 420

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skids and Getaway scramble to locate their target. Their mission is simple; to shoot at an antiwar civil-rights activist with a sniper rifle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is meant to parody the title of a Marvel UK story arc called "Target: 2006".

    The party lasted until 2:30 pm, or so. Afterwards, the legislators and some of the others were helping clean up. By this time, Tyrest had already left again. Unsure where Tyrest was, Getaway and Skids decided to split up to cover more ground in the compound. Fortunately for them, the chaos of the party’s clean up made it easier to avoid detection. Getaway entered a large stately home, thinking it was the villa.

    He looked around and noticed that the walls, ceiling, and floors were all golden and had hexagonal patterns. He noticed there were no cameras in the area and continued to walk around, searching for Tyrest. However, he quickly became frustrated because he felt like he was walking in circles. Sensing someone approached him, due to his modified hearing, Getaway hid inside a giant vase. But he was not alone, something else was inside with him.

    Before he could react, he heard a sparkling speak to him in Primal Vernacular, “Hey, go find another hiding spot, this one is mine!” The sparkling kicked Getaway out of the vase. Getaway only understood some spoken Primal Vernacular.

    Getaway looked around and ran down the hall, only to bump into another sparkling. The sparkling was a young Forsworn about his height and pale yellow in color. The sparkling gasped when he saw Getaway and said to him, “I’m going to tell on you! You’re supposed to be outside helping the other adults with the clean-up.”

    Realizing that the sparkling mistook him for one of the Brainmasters, Getaway said, “Yeah, you caught me. It’s been a long day and I just want to rest. Besides, everything’s being taken care of, so it’s not a problem.” He was an expert manipulator, so tricking a sparkling wasn’t difficult. Getaway pulled out a photo of Tyrest and showed it to the sparkling. “I’m looking for this particular mech. Do you know where he is?”

    The sparkling opened his eyes to get a better look at the photo. “Is _this_ that the queen everyone’s fighting over? Why is this photo messed up? He’s supposed to be really pretty! I saw him at the meeting. He was sitting on this chair and wanted to go home. I never thought I'd say this, but that's the first time I've ever related to an adult.”

    “So, do you know where he is?” asked Getaway, “I need to tell him something important.”

    “No,” replied the sparkling, “but I heard he lives in another house. If you want, you can ask one of the guards for directions.”

    “That’s okay, I can find him on my own, thanks,” chuckled Getaway as he walked away from the sparkling. He decided to climb out of a window since he couldn’t find a door. The sparkling saw that Getaway left the window opened and closed it. (The Forsworn, as well as the legislators, were particular about drafts.)

    Meanwhile, Skids had wandered into the apple orchard and stumbled upon the underground lake too. However, something about his presence startled the harmless and docile creatures despite wearing the special energy shield. For some reason, that upset Skids. Skids left quickly and continued searching the compound. Getaway searched around too, finding nothing. Yet something wasn’t right. They weren’t supposed to feel so disoriented. They continued searching for the chief justice for several hours.     

    Sometime later, Tyrest was outside on his balcony. Since it was a very warm and sunny day, he left his cape inside. Tyrest checked the time on his phone. It was barely 4:18 pm. Tyrest looked through his subspace and pulled out one of the joints Beachcomber had given him. He then took out his fancy lighter and lit his joint. Checking the time once more, it was exactly 4:20 pm. Tyrest inhaled his joint and sat back on his wicker chair.

    Xaaron was looking for Tyrest because he wanted to talk to him. Xaaron’s legislator informed him that Tyrest went to the balcony located on the northern wing of the villa. Before Tyrest knew it, Xaaron was irate and screaming at him. Tyrest raised an eyebrow and sighed. “My friend, I don’t care for what you have to say, but I missed my smoke break at high noon so I have to make it up at 4:20. Those are the rules.”

    “Not on my watch!” screamed Xaaron tried to knock the joint out of Tyrest’s hand. But Tyrest was too quick and just moved his hand out of the way.

    Ever since he smoked with Beachcomber, he realized that consuming the weed was the only way the voices and the "hallucinations" left him alone. Shaking his head, Tyrest replied, “I woke up at 2:00 am this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. This is why I couldn’t enjoy the party. I’m stressed out! Besides, what do you have against me self-medicating with this herbal treatment, anyway? Are you one of those lawyers that work for some shady big-name pharmaceutical corporation?”

    Facepalming and then pinching his nose, Xaaron said, “I just don’t want to see you smoking that stuff! If you want ‘herbal treatment’ I can brew you some chamomile tea, if you like.”

    Rolling his eyes, Tyrest sighed, “Fine, if that will make you leave me alone, then give me this tea. But put herb in it too to enhance it.”

    “What?!” cried Xaaron, “No!”

    Xaaron’s loud screaming had caught Skids’ attention. He has scaled another building on the property and moved towards the source of the sound. He managed to hide behind a statue on another balcony and had a clear shot. As he prepared his rifle, he realized Tyrest was the one with the Tyrestan accent. The only thing he understood Tyrest say from his entire conversation was, “I woke up at…”

    Skids messaged Getaway that he found the target. However, Tyrest’s natural expressiveness made it difficult to get a good shot. Tyrest moved his head and arms a lot, despite still sitting in the chair. Not to mention he wasn’t alone. Skids decided to get comfortable while waiting for Xaaron to leave.

    The direction of the wind changed, and Xaaron let go of his nose but now the wind was heading towards Skids. Skids was shocked. Thinking the chief justice was smoking a cheap cigarette. Their client never mentioned anything about Tyrest using weed. Skids found the smell of weed revolting and avoided all situations involving it at all costs. He tried holding his breath, since he couldn’t afford getting secondhand-high. However, this was Tyrest and Xaaron; their bickering had a tendency to be lengthy. Just when Skids felt he was getting ready to pass out, Xaaron went inside. The emirate didn’t want to smell like weed. Skids finally exhaled, however the smell was stronger than before and he ended up inhaling. Trying not to let the unpleasant situation get to him, Skids lined up the shot and aimed at Tyrest, who conveniently reclined his head towards the left.

    The client had no plans on assassinating the chief justice. This act was counterproductive since there was a chance his unexpected demise would reignite the Great War. In fact, the chief justice just being _alive_ was what kept the treaty valid. The client wanted Skids and Getaway to brainwash the chief justice into retirement by using a more advanced nudge bullet. This bullet was very small and the target was meant to feel minimal impact. (The bullet was meant to feel like a tiny bug bite, therefore making it subtle.) Seeing that the coast was clear, Skids fired the shot.

    Tyrest flinched upon impact. Skids hesitated and suddenly felt a small prick on his right thigh. Feeling paranoid, he jumped a bit and saw that a droidsquito had bit him there. Upset, Skids swatted it. He looked up and accidentally made eye-contact with Tyrest, who gave him a hateful glare that sent chills up Skids’ spine. Before Skids had a chance to react, Tyrest screamed and legislators flew to towards his direction as Tyrest pointed at Skids with his staff.

    Xaaron heard the screams, nearly dropping the hot teapot. He ran towards Tyrest who had his hand to the side of his head. Meanwhile, Skids literally hauled aft and ran away as fast as possible. Getaway was already making his way back to the tunnel they came out of, when he heard the alarm. Suddenly, the patio was swarming with legislators and Forsworn that Getaway had to sneak out another way.  Unfortunately for him, many of the hearing-impaired Forsworn detected foreign electromagnetic activity and spotted him.

    “Scrap!” cried Getaway, who wanted to be fragged by Skids but not like this. He and Skids took off running in completely different directions to get to the dark side of the moon.

    Meanwhile, Tyrest cried inconsolably as Xaaron could do nothing to console him. The Brainmasters and Galaxy Shuttle teleported to where he was at. Tyrest then spoke to them in Primal Vernacular, “He shot me.”

    Star Saber called Lockdown to return to the villa immediately. Then the Brainmasters and Galaxy jumped out of the balcony in the direction the legislators were headed.

    “Transform! Merge! Battle Up!” cried Star Saber as he and the Brainmasters combined mid-air into Road Caesar, a giant blue mech with wide hips and a noticeable thigh gap.

    Unlike other combiners, he had a tranquil aura. The first time in many years this more complete Road Caesar formed. (The others barely had a chance to get a good look at him before he teleported away and disassembled. All they knew was that he was bigger than his previous more incomplete form.) Road Caesar landed gracefully on the ground next to Galaxy Shuttle, who shot himself with the mass-displacement gun to revert to his original size. He was still taller than Road Caesar.

    Galaxy Shuttle pulled out one of his handguns and handed it to Road Caesar. He said to him, “Road Caesar, take one of these.”

    Road Caesar declined the offer saying, “Who needs guns with legs like these?” Road Caesar rolled his hips before taking off into the forest as Galaxy Shuttle followed behind.

    Due to being large, chasing after two small mechs was difficult since the small mechs were cunning when it came to hiding.

    Meanwhile, Lockdown tried his best to calm down Tyrest who was taken to the clinic. Seeing that it was difficult because Tyrest was flailing wildly, he injected him with an effective sedative. Lockdown then performed a scan on the chief justice, only to reveal there was no foreign object inside his head. He did find the damage Tyrest had done to his brain module from a past attempted suicide and two old scars, one on the side of his head and another on his right eyebrow. (Both were only superficial and nothing of concern.)

    Tyrest was semi-conscious and said to Lockdown in a drowsy voice, “I had the painful thought of quitting. It burned into my mind like a barbed spear. If that pain wasn’t enough, then I heard the voices. I call it ‘voices’ because it has an echo to it. It ordered me to not quit and said that if I did, I’d never see my family again.” Tyrest whimpered, particularly since he never told anyone about these voices, but the medication Lockdown had given him loosened his self-control.

    Thinking this attack had to do with brainwashing, Lockdown asked Tyrest, “But do you want to quit? Ignore what everyone else says and tell me what _you_ want.”

    “I want to be reunited with Ma, Kalis, and Nova,” replied Tyrest, “besides, it’s never been about what _I want_ ; it’s always about _what is best_.”

    “Then ‘what is best’?” asked Lockdown as he motioned to Xaaron to approach. Lockdown rolled Tyrest on his left side to help him calm down. It barely worked because Tyrest’s anxiety was too great.

    “Not me, that’s for sure,” said Tyrest, “maybe I _should_ quit. I'm just too weak. But then, I think others won’t do my job right the way it should be done.”

    Xaaron interrupted Tyrest saying, “You are strong, you’ve overcome so much.”

    Tyrest was left speechless by his friend’s sincerity. Xaaron held Tyrest’s right hand as he typed with the other on his tablet. Finally, he wrote his letter to the Autobot High Council.

 

> Esteemed High Council:
> 
> With deep regrets, I must step down for personal reasons. I’m aware this is a difficult decision on my part. I hope that my actions encourage you reevaluate yourselves, since those who’ve always helped you aren’t around for eternity.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Emirate Xaaron PhD, Autobot High Council Chairman

    Xaaron then read the letter to Tyrest. Tyrest pouted, his voice slurred, “You were…you were supposed to tell them they lied to us all for not being high.”

    “I will add it, this is just a rough draft,” said Xaaron, who noticed Tyrest went unconscious. Xaaron glared at Lockdown, and realizing the chief justice had been drugged again, he growled.

    “Hmph!” replied Lockdown, as he crossed his arms. He then uncrossed his arms and said, “I thought it was very sweet of you to tell him he was strong and encourage him that way. Even though it was you who mentioned this brainwashing doesn't work on those with brain damage.” Lockdown showed Xaaron the results of the scan. Xaaron read them carefully.

    While Xaaron was distracted, Lockdown took the opportunity to squeeze Tyrest’s aft, since he would never have another chance. It was everything he thought it would be. Then he spanked Tyrest without leaving a mark, because he was annoyed by his absurd rules. Particularly the policing of his language, which he felt attacked his freedom of speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was no way I _wasn't_ going to miss the opportunity to make a "high noon" joke.


	38. Death by tranquility.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skids and Getaway continue to flee, only to be confronted by a mech who radiates tranquility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from the 68th song in the Undertale OST - “[Death by Glamour](https://youtu.be/lmxSiuoUfw0)”. 

Skids and Getaway continued to flee. They were being chased by angry legislators, bounty hunters and a pair of giants. Getaway’s only advantage was his size. He was small-enough to maneuver through the trees. He felt Galaxy Shuttle close behind him. It was going to be difficult to escape from a shuttleformer since they have an impeccable navigational system. Galaxy Shuttle pulled out his pistols and shot at Getaway. He missed and Getaway continued to escape.

Getaway began to regret not walking through the jungle. Had he walked through it, he would’ve had an idea where they had parked the ship. He knew it was somewhere in the dark side of the moon, but that description alone was vague.

Meanwhile, Skids was being chased by Road Caesar, who tittered and asked, “Darling, where is your honor? Did you forget it somewhere like you did your faith?” Road Caesar pulled out his sword, the Road Blade, and teleported in front of Skids. Skids only had a split second to move to the left, because Road Caesar swung his sword at him, cutting a deep fissure into the ground.

Skids realized that would’ve been him if he had not moved fast enough. Road Caesar swung at him again, slicing off part of his left door-wing. “Got you!” giggled Road Caesar, as soon as he cut Skids. Road Caesar continued to attack Skids, as Skids continued to dodge. Fortunately for Skids, Road Caesar’s attack pattern was a bit predictable.

(Then again, it had been too long since Road Caesar was formed with Star Saber. He wasn’t used to having Star Saber’s now advanced abilities and had difficulty controlling them. Star Saber’s component had difficulty controlling them too. This lack of control manifested itself as arrogance. However, Road Caesar’s other components worked together with Star Saber to control this manifestation, further stabilizing the combiner.)

Despite his limitations from being so out of practice, Road Caesar’s brutal ferocity coupled with his balanced mind made him a force to be reckoned with. This giant mech was capable of snuffing out Skids’ spark at any given moment. What bothered Skids was Road Caesar's friendly smile and apparent lack of hostility towards him, despite the attacks. However, Road Caesar was a calm individual. (As far as he was concerned, killing the unbeliever was doing a work of mercy.)

Road Caesar let Skids run for a bit and shouted, “Not everyone gets a second chance to atone for their crimes. Brain wheel shocker!” Road Caesar released energy rings from his tires and directed them towards Skids. Skids dodged the first energy ring, but the second ring nicked him on the foot. A painful surge of energy went up his leg, nearly causing him to trip. Skids got up and continued to flee. Like Getaway, he also had no clue where his ship was.

Road Caesar appeared in front of Skids and posed in a dramatic fashion. Skids tried looking away; he couldn’t afford to be distracted by those fabulous hips. Skids barely managed to avoid crashing into a tree. Road Caesar’s strategy worked. Road Caesar got was ready to strike with his sword when he stopped.

“Excuse me for a second…” said Road Caesar as he teleported away.

Fearing the worst, Skids continued to run as far away as he could. He could sense he was entering the dark side of the moon. He was close to his destination. The only thing in Skids' mind was returning to the ship with his partner, Getaway. 

Road Caesar appeared next to Galaxy Shuttle. Galaxy Shuttle nearly shot him out of fright. When he realized what he did, Galaxy Shuttle cried, “I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!”

“All is forgiven, my friend,” said Road Caesar, “Please go back and check on the chief justice. I’ll make this an experience those intruders will never forget.” He teleported away as Galaxy Shuttle transformed and flew back to the compound.

Getaway was unaware of what occurred. He assumed that he had lost Galaxy Shuttle. He continued running and entered the dark side of the moon. Taking a short pause, Getaway put on special goggles that enabled him to see in the darkness and continued to run. He was still far from the ship, but could see that Skids was nearby. However, none of them were being chased. Getaway couldn’t help but feel they were being herded into a trap. Everything around him was too quiet, thus too suspicious.

He ran to a pile of rocks and screamed while waving his hands, “Hey Skids! I’m over here!”

Skids turned around and saw Getaway in the distance. Before he was able to reply, he saw Road Caesar suddenly appear next to Getaway. Road Caesar swung at Getaway. Getaway’s face turned pale and let out a blood-curdling screech as Road Caesar smacked him into the rock pile, crushing his frame like a bug. Shaken, Skids continued running as Road Caesar wiped the blood from his hand onto the grass. He was disgusted that his hands were sticky with Getaway's bodily fluids.

Skids remembered Getaway’s old saying, “Run hot but always keep your cool.” He tried his best to channel his fear into speed and ran past the abandoned shed, which had collapsed. Relieved he was nearing the ship; Skids pulled out his key and unlocked the ship. Out of nowhere, he heard Road Caesar scream, “Brain wheel shocker!” Skids dodged all of the energy rings.

Road Caesar concentrated all his energy into his sword and impaled the ground. The energy spread through the ground causing an earthquake. The ground beneath Skids began to collapse, as well as the ground beneath the ship. Skids pulled out his grappling hook and shot at the ship’s door. He reeled himself inside the ship. With his shaky hands he activated the ship. Without looking back, Skids drove towards the sky.

“Brain wheel shocker!” cried Road Caesar released his attack one final time, damaging the ship. The electrical impulse electrocuted Skids and damaged the ship’s navigational systems.

From out of nowhere, three blotchy legislators emerged from the trees and grabbed on to the ship. Their powerful hands almost clawed their way into it. Skids flew out of orbit.  As a result, the legislators transformed and attached themselves to the ship. Skids had no idea what happened and tried to escape back to Cybertron.  Since the navigational systems weren't functional, he ended up flying away in the opposite direction. Skids took a gamble and decided to warp away.

Road Caesar looked on as he watched Skids escape into the dark sky. He couldn’t fly after Skids, so there was nothing he could do. He was too tired to disassemble and fly after him as Star Saber.

Meanwhile, Skids had warped into an unknown location far away from Cybertron. With his trembling hands he wrote, “They are all round us.” in reference to the legislators that had formed an outer-layer around his ship. He finally let out an anguished cry. As much as Getaway annoyed him, his cruel fate brought Skids to tears. He had known him for so long, he never thought such a thing would occur so suddenly. Skids had a feeling something awful would happen but not like this. He should’ve rejected the job offer like his gut-instinct told him to. Another senseless death he had to experience in life, where one death was already too many. Skids looked through his subspace and pulled out his nudge gun. It was similar to the one the emirate carried, but more advanced. The gun was given to him and Getaway by their client. If they were to fail their mission, they were to erase the memory of the event and their mission. Fearful and shaken, Skids accidentally touched the settings and shot himself in the head. He then slumped over on his chair, unconscious. The ship continued on its aimless course on autopilot.  

Back at Luna-1, Galaxy Shuttle managed to go back to check on Tyrest’s condition. Tyrest was in the clinic, surrounded by Lockdown, Xaaron, and several legislators. Tyrest was still unconscious due the effects of the sedatives and his vital signs were stable. After seeing that Tyrest was doing well, he went to look for Road Caesar who still hadn't returned. Galaxy Shuttle saw a phone on the ground. Skids had dropped it when he tripped and Galaxy Shuttle picked it up.

Galaxy Shuttle found Road Caesar and asked, “What happened?”

Road Caesar sighed and said to him, “That small blue mech got away. But then that’s my fault for lacking the determination to end his life. I should’ve cut him in half when I had the chance, but then he was a nonbeliever. He had such a sickening corrupt aura and that demanded retribution in the form of psychological torture. Worst of all, can you believe he looked away at _this_?” Road Caesar struck a sensual, yet sassy pose for Galaxy Shuttle.

“Wow…” replied Galaxy Shuttle, who then asked, “What about the other one I was chasing?”

“I crushed him to cause the nonbeliever pain,” replied Road Caesar, “he wasn't that good, but he committed a crime. I’ll take you to him, if you’d like.” Road Caesar took Galaxy Shuttle’s hand and teleported to the rock pile.

When they arrived, Lockdown’s crew and several legislators were at the site investigating. Galaxy Shuttle noticed that Getaway’s spark still flickered. When they realized Road Caesar had crushed Getaway, they took him back to Lockdown’s ship as a precaution.

Lockdown was tasked with repairing his injuries. The bounty hunter/former medical student really didn’t want to do it. Although he was learning to tolerate Autobots, Getaway annoyed him in particular. To make it easier on himself, Lockdown convinced himself that he’d get paid even more for the job. The entire crew was assisting him with the repairs.

Chop Shop looked through Getaway’s subspace. Everything was crushed and required cleaning. The lack of spirited drinks disappointed Chop Shop. He also pulled out Getaway’s escape kit which was the only item intact. They remembered the rule Tyrest had about recycling broken electronics and disposed of Getaway’s broken equipment. Steve had located Getaway’s serial number and looked it up on the database. He found it and pulled up a full-body photo of Getaway. Though the look Getaway had on his photo was outdated, it was a good reference.

Lockdown removed Getaway’s bluish-white spark and set it in a jar filled with stale beer. He worked on reconstructing Getaway’s spark chamber. The others with the least experience had to hammer out Getaway’s frame and solder back the torn off bits.

“It’s a shame we can’t just use this bot for spare parts,” muttered Venom in his heavy accent.

“Shh…” said Lockdown, “I’m annoyed too, but at least we can practice on him before we try repairing the leader. They can’t say anything since I’m the only person here with the most medical experience.” Lockdown finished rebuilding the spark chamber and tried to reintroduce Getaway’s spark to it. The transfer was successful.

“Why do we even have to repair the leader after what he’s done to us?” asked Lugnut, “He had our comrades kidnapped and tortured in captivity. Why is he pardoned and where is the justice?”

“Lugnut, we may never understand their insecticon ways,” replied Lockdown, “but the rest of our comrades have forgiven the Forsworn. There’s no reason to hold a grudge against them. Why should we be upset when they’re not?”

Lugnut looked at his insecticon comrades who agreed. He looked back at Lockdown saying, “I guess you’re right. Still, the fact it occurred and it’s brushed off like that makes me uncomfortable.”

Lockdown located Getaway’s t-cog, but it was crushed beyond repair. Steve went to the storage room and retrieved a spare t-cog he had refurbished as practice. Lockdown lazily inspected it before installing in Getaway. T-cogs were easy to refurbish, despite being complex organs. Lockdown didn’t feel like repairing most of Getaway’s vital organs. He opted to perform multiple transplants. Lockdown decided to use the oldest organs they had on hand. If the organs were big, they were trimmed and soldered before installation. Fortunately, Getaway was “average-sized” and many of the spare organs didn’t require trimming.

Lockdown explained that Getaway’s broken organs were going to be refurbished for later use. He also explained that such a complex rebuilding would take several weeks. But since they’re using the “quick method”, it may take a day or so. Due to the nature of his crime, it was likely Getaway would receive a death sentence. It was Lockdown’s professional decision that there was no need to work so carefully. They finished rebuilding Getaway.

Out of curiosity, Lockdown removed Getaway’s mask. Getaway’s head was intact. (This was good because Lockdown didn’t know how to rebuild or repair brain modules.) Lockdown decided to give Getaway a face-lift because his face wasn’t cute-enough, according to Lockdown’s personal concept of physical beauty. After all, Getaway needed to look good for his final mug shot anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is the part where Getaway gets "killed" by Mettaton EX but at least he got free plastic surgery because of it. XD
> 
> As for Skids, his unnecessary touching of the nudge gun erases too many memories to the point he forgets what his own name is. Fortunately, he carried his passport on him and his name was written on his water bottle.


	39. Nobody expects a sudden exposition!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getaway is interrogated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most important fact you must know before reading this chapter is that Skids’ ringtone sounds like this [mash up](https://youtu.be/xjTRpy5DspY), only because that’s the most Skids-sounding song I’ve ever heard to date. It fits his aesthetic perfectly IMHO.

Getaway opened his eyes; he was strapped to a table inside a jail cell and his subspace emptied out. He had been in similar situations before but never in this much pain. The surgeon who rebuilt his frame seemed to have purposely under-dosed him with the anesthesia. Paralyzed, Getaway felt every single incision and rewiring that occurred. At one point, the pain was so unbearable he blacked out for what seemed like several hours. Though their intentions were neutral at best, Getaway couldn’t help but feel violated. He had heard the chief justice, author of the Tyrest Accord, punished violators with heavy-handed brutality and never believed it was true. However, his agonizing experience proved otherwise; part of him longed for death.

Everything around him was pitch-black and still. Without warning, a phone began to ring loudly and vibrate at a distance. Getaway recognized the hip, jazzy tune of the phone, it was Skids’ ringtone. The phone’s movement triggered a light to turn on, shining above the phone which was set in an old table. From out of the shadow, a hand emerged and with a swift movement picked up the phone and took it into the shadows. The mech who got the phone set it on speakerphone just so Getaway could listen.

“Skids, where are you?” asked the familiar voice. It was his client. “I tried to call Getaway but his phone is disconnected. What happened?! My colleague just submitted his letter of resignation. My colleague who is a vital component to the Autobot cause, who looks nothing like the target in question. For the love of Primus, please don’t tell me you shot the wrong target! No, no, no! This was never meant to happen!  This can’t happen; oh dear lord!” The client’s voice began to break.

Getaway wanted to reply, but the uncertainty of the situation and his immense pain was keeping him from speaking.

“Tomaandi, you are a fool,” replied the mech who answered the phone with a heavy Sea of Rust accent. His voice was the most beautiful and sensual, yet most unsettling voice Getaway or Tomaandi had ever heard.

Tomaandi was taken aback by the voice and asked innocently, “Skids, is that you?”

“No,” purred the voice, “this is your target speaking and this conversation is being recorded. See in you in court.” The voice chuckled and hung up.

Tomaandi, who was on the other line, was struck with a sudden panic attack. The chief justice had the ability to ruin his reputation and had all the evidence to do so. The chief justice wasn’t just petty, he was extremely vindictive. However, this couldn’t happen at a worse time. He was in the middle of an important meeting. He had tried to call Xaaron as soon as they received the resignation letter, but Xaaron had turned off his phone and was asleep in the clinic on an inflatable bed next to his friend’s bed to keep him company…or so he thought.

A tall green mech with large wings and a noticeable crowned helm emerged from the shadows. His size confused Getaway at first since he only ever seen mechs with that hourglass shape, shoulder-waist-hip ratio to be about “average” size. Though easily one of the most beautiful mechs he had ever laid eyes on, the multiple holes all over his frame unnerved Getaway. Getaway couldn’t make out his face, since it was still obscured in the shadows. All he knew was that his eyes were a honey-yellow. The mech slowly approached Getaway, his wide hips rolling with every step.

As much as he hated to admit, Getaway couldn’t help but rev his engines at him. Due to the near-silence, Getaway wasn’t sure if his revving was quiet or loud. The mech approached him, reaching over and leaning on Getaway’s chassis. The mech’s body was warm and his aura, alluring. The mech leaned his face closer to Getaway’s still obscured by the darkness. The mech then whispered into Getaway’s ear, “You’re going to pay for attempting to murder me.”

“What?” Getaway shook his head, “We were just trying to brainwash you into resigning.” Getaway then bit his lip in fear. He never expected to be face to face with the chief justice; much less to look like the mech before him.

Tyrest twirled a small handgun and popped out the cartridge. He caught the cartridge and angled it towards Getaway so he could read its inscription. The cartridge read “Truth Serum”. With a slight grin Tyrest said, “Bullet for bullet; true justice at its core; although it’s not much ‘truth’ as it is ‘lowered inhibition’. As for your accomplice, soon he will learn the true meaning of fear.”

“No he won’t, he’s going to brainwash himself too because we were caught,” Getaway closed his mouth shut once more after realizing what he said.

“Is that right?” asked Tyrest, “As far as I know, you may never see your friend again. I’m sure you’re going to miss him, yes?”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Getaway, “we weren’t exactly friends but I’m going to miss bomping him though.”

“Bomping? What’s that? A new slang term you youngsters are using these days?” Tyrest crossed his arms with some concern.

“Nah, that’s my catchphrase,” nodded Getaway, “it can mean anything from ‘playful nudge on the chin after teasing Skids’ to ‘giving Skids a rimjob’.” Getaway’s eyes widened upon realizing what he had said.

“You’re so vile!” Tyrest snarled in utter disgust, “Have you no respect? This conversation is being recorded and now everyone will know what kinds of sick jobs you do on the side.”

“Hey!” cried Getaway, “I didn’t come here to get kink-shamed.”

“You shouldn’t have come here at all,” Tyrest replied coldly.

“Damn…you got me there,” Getaway shook his head.

“I got you in here too,” Tyrest tapped on the restraints. Clicking a button on his staff, which appeared to be missing its top-half, Tyrest conveniently turned off the recording. Smiling, he asked Getaway, “Any questions?”

“Yeah, how come you’re frick-frackin’ hot in real life but in photos you look so terrifying?” Getaway squinted, somehow hoping that would help.

“That’s easy, no one will respect you if you’re beautiful,” replied Tyrest, “and they’d also discredit all of your hard work and accomplishments by dismissing it as ‘sleeping with superiors’. By appearing terrifying, at least I will gain respect through fear. Though I will admit, I miss those old Golden Age days when others complimented me on my beauty. Many were respectful, but still that was because I was the Primal Consort; probably the most useless occupation I’ve ever held. The most I ever did was posing provocatively to further my conjunx’s agenda. You probably don’t remember because you weren’t born back then.”

“Wait a minute; there’s no way he can be that one mech with the innocent face, frightened gaze, trembling wings, and gorgeous curvy body. He was lying down on some sort of bedspread with his legs spread apart. His crotch was so cute and plump with the valvular folds barely covered up by that flimsy panel. It’s a shame I don’t have that photo on me, but then I saw it long ago when I was trying to sneak out of my house and knocked over a box. That photo was in there among various other dirty pics that belonged to my sire. But the one with that particular mech stood out the most. I think it was because I couldn’t believe such a beautiful mech could ever exist. His beauty evoked strange feelings from me, it wasn’t lust…I can’t describe it. I just knew I wanted him all for myself…but he was a prize beyond my reach back then…” Getaway’s eyes widened once more. He hoped he had not said that out loud, but he did.

Tyrest glared at him, backing away. He had heard everything. In fact, Tyrest also remembered the photo in question. As much as he hated to admit, he resented his conjunx so much for pressuring him into doing such a risqué photoshoot. He had always been a private individual and this was the worst experience of his life. (But then, most of his childhood memories with his abusive caretakers had been erased.) The chief justice tried to remain calm. Yet, the mere mention of that ordeal made him feel as if he blacked out due to the terror while still standing. He didn’t need to say anything for Getaway to figure out that something went wrong.

Several minutes passed and Tyrest stood motionless in front of Getaway. Finally, the chief justice spoke, his voice cold and unsettling, “The only reason your pathetic attempt to manipulate my thoughts failed is because I am in control…”

His captor’s aura had changed into something out of an uncomfortable dream, not threatening-enough to be considered a nightmare.

He gave Getaway a sinister grin, “You, your friend, and your superiors have underestimated the complexity of the situation. People, places, and things aren’t what they seem. Neither is time. Look, it says it’s 9 am!” He pointed at a clock on the wall with his staff and shined a light towards it so his prisoner could see. “But the poor clock is broken, just like your body will be once I'm through with you.”

“Are you threatening me, or are you coming  onto me?” asked Getaway.

“Why would you even think the latter is a possibility?” he asked Getaway rhetorically, “Like I’m going to defile my beloved vessel for the likes of you. I’m onto you and your half-baked schemes.”

Perhaps it was due to the fear he felt, but his captor’s breath reeked of weed and the general smell of leaf disgusted him. “The only baked thing here is you,” Getaway replied impulsively.

Without warning, Getaway was smacked across the face. His captor squawked angrily, “Do not take me for a simple-minded pastry! I’m aware of the depth of your schemes. You, your client, the emirate, the priests, and your blue partner you call ‘Skids’ who introduced himself as ‘Beach Stoner’ earlier, are all into this. All of you are meddling in my affairs to delay the construction of my grand space bridge. I will not allow anyone to hinder my escape from that accursed place, that so-called ‘Dark Universe’. I’ve been trapped for so long that I fear my mind has gotten…warped.”

Getaway realized too late that Tyrest was no longer there. Was he possessed or had the advanced nudge gun developed an unpleasant and unexpected side-effect? But then what else could he do? He was not prepared for those turn of events or in a position to escape. Before he was able to think of a plan, he said the first thing to come to mind, “Are you high?”

“No…” growled the captor, as he slipped his fingers underneath Getaway’s plating. “…The only thing that's high is the pitch of your screams!” Sinking his finger drills underneath Getaway’s plating, he caused him an unimaginable amount of pain. Getaway let out a high-pitched desperate cry heard by no one else but him. At that, his captor grinned and retreated back into the shadows. He proved that he was still in control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter derives its name from its prelude, "[Nobody Expects a Cheeseburger](http://chief-justice-tyrese.tumblr.com/post/129925583111/garden-of-heaven-nobody-expects-a-cheeseburger)" which pretty much tells you the _real_ plot of this story. In other words, you were trolled into reading this long story instead of its significantly shorter variant.  >:3
> 
> As for the story itself, its title comes from lyrics of Rihanna's "[Disturbia](https://youtu.be/E1mU6h4Xdxc)", which further emphasizes the subplot.
> 
> The moral of this story is that kind and merciful actions don’t always come from good people. All of this can from anyone if they make an effort to do so.


	40. A thief in the night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true purpose of Star Saber's mission is revealed. They all reflect on their actions.

Star Saber went to the clinic the next morning. He saw Tyrest uncovered on the bed. The blankets were thrown on the ground. Star Saber put the blankets in the dirty linen basket and was going to get new ones, when he noticed perspiration all over Tyrest’s frame. He got a washcloth and moistened with warm water from the sink. He barely touched Tyrest when Tyrest sat up in bed with a panicked look on his face. He noticed Star Saber and blushed.

“What’s wrong?” asked Star Saber.

Tyrest refused to answer, but he was so upset he was unable to hold back his tears. Seeing that he was no longer able to control his emotions due to the shock he said, “I…I…had an awful dream.”

Star Saber resumed cleaning Tyrest and said, “What was it about? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

“I had a dream that I went to see that prisoner,” said Tyrest, “the one detained. He wasn’t the one who shot me though. It was his accomplice. That prisoner knew about my past.”

Tyrest was too embarrassed to admit he actually went to interrogate Getaway on his own. Tyrest had taken his staff part and had left the top part on the bed. He pressed a button that made a sound that sounded like his spark and covered up the bed with pillows and blankets, so that the star-shaped top of his staff resembled his helm underneath it all.

“What do you mean?” asked Star Saber, getting another washcloth.

“He knew I was a QIU!” whimpered Tyrest.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” replied Star Saber.

“You don’t understand,” said Tyrest, “No one respects QIUs! That’s why my tailored image is so important to me. I’ve worked so hard to distance myself from the image of Primal Consort…” Tyrest broke down into tears. “…I don’t think you realize my pain; to be told your entire life that you’re less than nothing! And the fact that it’s all true…”

“It’s not true at all!” hissed Star Saber, “Though, I see no logical reason to have been ashamed of being a Primal Consort, you’ve come a long way since then. Your diplomatic talents have prevented the war from becoming worse. From what I’ve seen, you do a good job of trying to keep things civil, even without that façade. Someone who is resilient and unwavering could accomplish all of that, with Primus’ help, of course.”

Tyrest gasped, as Star Saber finished cleaning him off. The chief justice was not used to taking compliments that weren’t about his appearance, but he was able to pretend that he was. But he was so unnerved at the moment, he wasn’t able to. Despite Star Saber’s reassurance, he was ashamed of showing his vulnerability to him.

Star Saber changed the bed sheets and helped Tyrest get back in bed. Noticing the chief justice was still upset, Star Saber said, “Something else is bothering you. What’s wrong?” He also noticed Star Saber’s staff was on the ground, split in to. He picked it up and handed it to him.

Tyrest got his staff and connected the two pieces together. He then said sheepishly, “It’s bifurcated for travel, don’t worry about it. It’s fine and must’ve fallen down when I was sleeping.” Tyrest screwed the two parts together and then secured it with a latch. Tyrest had no memory of placing either half of the staff on the ground. If they had fallen out of bed, they would've made a loud noise that would've woken him up. That small detail upset him more than it should.

Taking a deep breath, Tyrest said, “I don’t remember placing my staff like that on the ground. This reminds me of…never mind.”

“Go ahead,” said Star Saber, who pulled up a chair and sat down.

“Several years ago, I had a weird dream that I was walking around my home in the middle of the night,” said Tyrest as he tried to lie back down on the bed. “I found several tracking devices and they were functional. Someone was spying on me. When I woke up, I tried to go to the places I saw in the dream. Only one of those places had small wires sticking from the wall. Something about that proved the dream wasn’t a dream. This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone this. I…I know I’m overreacting, but I felt so terrified and I still feel that way about it. What has become of me? I’m afraid of being in my own home. It’s like nowhere is safe for me.”

“You are not alone,” said Star Saber, “I’m here, my companions are here, the legislators are here, and Lockdown with his crewmates are here…”

“My friend told me that earlier,” said Tyrest, “I know both of you mean well, but those words bring me no comfort. I don’t think any of you can protect me from my fears. I don’t want to live like this anymore.” Tyrest let out a quiet gasp and looked at Xaaron.

“Please promise me you won’t tell Xaaron,” whispered Tyrest, “I already feel guilty about him quitting his job over me. But please don’t tell him anything I’ve confessed to you. He’d be so distraught if he knew what was wrong with me.”

“He seemed to hate his job,” shrugged Star Saber, “I don’t think quitting impacted him negatively. In fact, the opposite is true. I noticed his cheeky grin has turned more into a warm genuine smile when he’s around you. Being here with you probably makes him happy.”

Tyrest bent over to try to pick up Xaaron from the ground but Star Saber stopped him. Star Saber laid Tyrest back on the bed and placed Xaaron with him on the bed. Tyrest hugged his friend as Star Saber covered them up with blankets. Tyrest was so exhausted, he fell asleep in an instant. Seeing that all was peaceful, Star Saber left the room.

When they were alone, Tyrest opened his eyes. Enveloped in an ominous violet aura, he whispered to himself, “…Now I can get my revenge and call it an accident.” He was about to roll on top of Xaaron to smother him, when Star Saber suddenly appeared holding a lantern. The lantern contained the Fires of Solus Prime.

The light from the lantern touched Tyrest’s body, causing the aura to disappear. Tyrest turned around and saw Star Saber. Visibly disturbed Tyrest looked at Xaaron and said, “I think it’s too dangerous for him to sleep next to me or even be around me.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Star Saber as he hung the lantern on an unused IV stand.

Tyrest motioned to Star Saber to come close, “Please promise you won’t tell anyone. But I hear voices too.”

“What do they say?” asked Star Saber, trying to remain calm.

“Very horrible things,” replied Tyrest, “the worst part of it all is that they all sound like Nova’s voice, but echoed. He was so sweet and good to me. Nova would never be so cruel and disgusting. That’s what hurts me the most about these voices. Do you know what they just said to me, just now before you left?” Tyrest leaned closer to Star Saber’s ear whispering, “They ordered me to kill Xaaron, I refused and then I don’t remember what happened next. This can’t be happening and now it feels worse than before!” Tyrest broke down in tears. “This is the real reason why I was hoping you’d come. You’d know how to rid me of these awful voices…”

Tyrest’s inconsolable weeping woke up Xaaron. Worried, he asked, “What happened?!”

Grabbing a blanket Tyrest wept, “Don’t look at me!” He then tried to put it over Xaaron’s face. But Xaaron took it off and looked Tyrest in the eye. Tyrest looked away and cried louder. His immense feelings of guilt made him want to drill himself out of punishment but he knew better than do it around the others.

The legislators sensed a disturbance in Tyrest’s spark and rushed to the room. One of them entered the room, since they knew Tyrest would be overwhelmed by all of them crowding him at once.

When Tyrest noticed the legislator enter the room he said to him in the calmest voice possible, “I’m okay.” However, his eyelids and face were a bit swollen from crying. It was clear in his eyes that he was distressed. Tyrest was unable to fool everyone around him.

The legislator nodded, pretending he believed Tyrest and served him a cup of water from the ice pitcher. The legislator put the pitcher and the cup down on the bedside table and rolled it towards Tyrest, before leaving the room. The legislator walked away and at a distance where Tyrest was unable to observe him, saying to the others, “This is getting out of hand.”

“I agree,” said another legislator, “the foreigners have done the queen well since he can understand them. But that makes whatever illness he has, attack him with more ferocity.”

“I remember that a Forsworn healer told me that the leader had a similar sickness,” said a legislator who overheard their conversation, “except the leader didn’t hear voices. Not to mention, Star Saber’s friend with the visor described something similar. He said it's a vile sickness that corrupts a victim, but the victim has no symptoms except ‘paranoia’. The queen is a little nervous already due to the transgressions of others. Maybe this has masked the illness and that’s why Star Saber’s friend hasn’t diagnosed it.” The legislator signaled to one of his brethren, “Go notify him of this immediately, he is an expert.”

As the legislator left, an alarm went off in the compound, which upset Tyrest more. An intruder appeared to have traveled through the space bridge.  Star Saber heard the alarm and ran out of the room. He caught up with his legislator and ordered him to go back and check on Tyrest. As the legislator ran back to the clinic, Star Saber teleported to where the intruder was surrounded. He had his Saber Blade drawn.

However, there was nothing there. The legislators turned off the alarm and investigated the incident. They found that a wire from the space bridge had frayed and were working to repair it. This accident couldn't have come at a worse time. Everyone was hypervigilant about intruders. First it was the Forsworn and then Getaway with Skids.

Tyrest managed to calm down after it was reported that it was a false alarm. He looked at Xaaron and said to him, “I love you, my friend.” He felt guilty for not telling Xaaron enough.

“Damn right,” said Xaaron as he curled up next to him, enjoying his company. “I love you too; more than you can ever imagine. Don’t you forget that, you hear me? You're a good and kind friend. One of the best ones I have.”

This was true. Xaaron had been close to Optimus, until his unexpected demise. Impactor was also is good friend, to the point they eventually became lovers and had a sparkling together. Tyrest was always a good friend to him, despite becoming more anxious and withdrawn after his conjunx’s sudden disappearance. Tyrest began to feel more at ease. The terrible feelings he had appeared to have retreated.

A legislator entered the room holding a big plushie and handed it to Tyrest, before leaving and giving them privacy. Tyrest hugged it and then he realized that Xaaron was there looking at him. He became very embarrassed by his own childishness.

Xaaron smiled and said, “Is that, that plushie I got you for graduation?”

Tyrest nodded slowly. Despite being so old and used, the plushie was in good condition. “Don’t worry; those chocolates you got me are long gone.” Tyrest chuckled uneasily. “Besides, I noticed your luggage set earlier too. I didn’t think that would survive all these years, even if those were the best I could find.”

“You bought them well,” replied Xaaron with a sly grin, “they’re as cute and resilient, just like their owner. By that I mean me.” Xaaron chuckled.

Tyrest laughed, because he wasn’t expecting that kind of reply. Though he was far from recovered, his spirits were improving. Afterwards, Tyrest and Xaaron continued to chat.

Later, Galaxy Shuttle was taking a hike with Road Caesar made with all the present Brainmasters. Road Caesar was still upset about not killing Skids. To take his mind off the matter, Galaxy Shuttle asked him, “Do you remember the city guardian named ‘Slammoth’?”

Road Caesar’s eyes widened. It had been years since he heard that name. He replied, “Yes, he was a good mech. Even more devoted to Primus and those he swore to protect, more than I ever was. I wonder where he is now. Many of us were revived thanks to cooperative mechs. I’m aware that my team’s psyche isn’t all there when they revive me like this, nor is mine when they are themselves. I’m sure they asked you about Slammoth.”

“Yes,” said Galaxy Shuttle.

“Since I’m sure they don’t fully understand my feelings, particularly Star Saber, I also have a message I would like you to tell them,” said Road Caesar, “if you must, please record it.” Galaxy Shuttle took out his phone, which was also big due to the mass-displacement, and began to record. Road Caesar spoke, “Star Saber, I understand your personal reasons for not wanting to combine. You have no idea how much it affected me. It was a terrible feeling of incompleteness and I was never at peace with myself. However, now that you are comfortable to partake in this intimate bonding I welcome you back with open arms.”

Galaxy Shuttle smiled. Before he was able to turn off the recording, Road Caesar took the phone from his hand and continued, “It also hurts me deeply that you think and refer to your absent companion as a ‘traitor’. Not just you, Star Saber, but the others too; especially Blacker. He was a kind-hearted mech just like the rest of you. How could you ever even _think_ his actions were committed out of malice? He just wanted us all to be happy together, but now…? I blame myself for your sentiments. In my last moments, I was betrayed by my friend who was the one that delivered the fatal blow. The shock of his betrayal was what killed me, not my injuries. After all those years we've worked together, how could he do this to me? What did I do for him to attack me like that? All of you absorbed my trauma, I’m sorry.”

Road Caesar handed the phone back to Galaxy Shuttle. Galaxy Shuttle hugged the combiner, to help ease his sorrow. They sat on the ground and looked up at the sky. The delicate shimmering of the stars filled them with determination and purpose. Road Caesar smiled, since this brought him and his components, much needed comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any follow up to this would have to involve another separate story since one of my pet peeves are random time gaps in the middle of the story. Sorry for the lack of romance, it's not really my thing but whatever.

**Author's Note:**

> From late December 2015 to late May 2016, I wrote all of this. I'm so happy and relieved that I managed to finish this personal project. My motivation has been waning and sporadic that I'm relieved I managed to do this. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! :3


End file.
